earth science

Kerry Sieh

Kerry Sieh is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kerry Sieh rather than just read about it. In short: Kerry E. Sieh is an American geologist and seismologist.

Key takeaways

Kerry Sieh belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kerry Sieh to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kerry Sieh from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kerry E. Sieh is an American geologist and seismologist. Sieh's principal research interest is earthquake geology, which uses geological layers and landforms to understand the geometries of active faults, the earthquakes they generate, and the crustal structure their movements produce. His early work on the San Andreas Fault led to the discovery of how often and how regularly it produces large earthquakes in southern California. Sieh received his undergraduate degree in geology from the University of California, Riverside in 1972 and his Ph.D. degree in geology from Stanford University in 1977. He was a professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology from 1986 to 2009. Soon after joining Caltech, Sieh was recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a "Rising Star" in Southern California in 1988. Sieh is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences (since 1999). In 2009, Sieh became the director of Nanyang Technological University's Earth Observatory. He is the first holder of the AXA-NTU Chair on Natural Hazards in Southeast Asia established in 2012.

Awards and honors Harry Fielding Reid Medal, 2014 LGBTQ Scientist of the Year Award, National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, 2006 Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2001 National Academy of Sciences, member, 1999 Fellow, Geological Society of America, 1996 National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research, 1982 E.B. Burwell Jr., Memorial Award of the Engineering Geology Division, Geological Society of America, 1980

Publications "Geology of Earthquakes" with Robert S. Yeats and Clarence R. Allen. Oxford University Press (1997) ISBN 0-19-507827-6 "The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes and Volcanos and Their Impact on Humankind" with Simon LeVay. W. H. Freeman & Sons (1998) ISBN 0-7167-3151-7 "Living on an Active Earth: Perspectives on Earthquake Science" as part of the Committee on the Science of Earthquakes, National Research Council. National Academies Press (2003) ISBN 0-309-06562-3

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kerry Sieh

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kerry Sieh claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kerry Sieh before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kerry Sieh ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kerry Sieh

In research: Kerry Sieh appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kerry Sieh in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kerry Sieh is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American LGBTQ scientists, American geologist stubs, American seismologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kerry Sieh outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Kerry Sieh” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Kerry Sieh in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kerry Sieh means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kerry Sieh out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kerry Sieh in simple terms?

Kerry E. Sieh is an American geologist and seismologist.

Why does Kerry Sieh matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kerry Sieh?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kerry Sieh.