Making the World Safer from Geohazards
A Global Network for Knowledge Sharing, Collaboration, and Advocacy for Geological Risk Management
GeoRiskNet
Seminars
This is a series of past and upcoming seminars and events for the GeoRiskNet community
Topics and Speakers:
Seminar 1 (January 28th, 2026): Kamchatka Cascading Hazards
The great Kamchatka earthquake, tsunami, and volcanic eruption: A cascading geohazard event
This seminar brought guest speakers together to discuss the 29 July 2025 Mw 8.8 earthquake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia was the largest earthquake globally in well over a decade and generated a tsunami that affected the northwest Pacific and had impacts across the eastern Pacific followed by the eruption of Klyuchevskoy volcano.
GeoRiskNet Launch
Co-founders Malaika Ulmi, John Schneider, and Sahar Safaie introduced the launch of the Global Geologic GeoHazards and Risk Network (GeoRiskNet).
Volcanic eruption
Dr. Ben Andrews (Director of the Global Volcanism Program within the Department of Mineral Sciences at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution) discussed The eruption of eruption of the Klyuchevskoy volcano and its impact.
Kamchatka events, impact and response and lessons learned
Sahar Safaie facilitated discussion with the panelists on the Great 2025 Kamchatka earthquake, tsunami and volcanic eruption events, their impact and response and lessons learned.
Earthquake
Dr. Zoe Yin (Mendenhall Postdoctoral fellow at the Geologic Hazards Science Center of the USGS) discussed The 2025 Great Kamchatka Earthquake: near real warning and impact of the earthquake and landslides.
Hazards Response
Dr. Althea Rizzo (Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Emergency Management) discussed On-the-ground emergency response to the Kamchatka tsunami.
Tsunami
Dr. Fabrizio Romano (senior researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV, Italy) and member of the Global Tsunami Model Modelling) discussed the Kamchatka Tsunami and its impact across the Pacific.
Parametric insurance and modelling
Dr. Nicolas Pondard (worked directly for international development institutions, academia, government, and the reinsurance industry) discussed Disaster Risk Financing and Resilience Funding for Pacific Island Countries