In the petroleum industry there is considerable current interest in understanding the causes of seismic energy loss. During the past few years, considerable progress has been made in the field of seismic wave attenuation as a result of both controlled laboratory studies of the static and the dynamic properties of rock specimens and theoretical modeling. During the 49th Annual International Meeting of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists in New Orleans, a research workshop on Seismic Loss Mechanisms was organized. The purpose of this workshop was to assess current understanding of the physical processes that cause attenuation of seismic energy. The workshop, organized by Kenneth Larner of Western Geophysical and the author, featured a multispeaker format involving invited papers from both industry and academia. The presentations were followed by discussions lasting approximately 90 minutes which included the speakers, the audience, and a panel of experts in the field of seismology.
Seismic loss estimates for buildings in Bucharest's historic centre in case of another 1977 Vrancea earthquake
