Get off the beach — now!

摘要

As a theoretical seismologist, Chris Chapman says he "sits in front of the computer trying to work out how seismic waves can tell us things about the interior of the Earth". Sitting in Ahungalla, 30 kilometres north of hard-hit Galle on the southwest tip of Sri Lanka when last month's tsunami rolled in, he got a fresh perspective on earthquakes and their impact. Fortunately, Chapman, who works at Schlumberger Cambridge Research in Britain, was able to surmize the danger and initiate efforts to clear the beaches. He tells experience.