Witness questions experts’ analysis in trial of Italian quake scientists

Science : Seven scientists and technicians are on trial in Italy for allegedly failing to properly assess seismic risks before the April 2009 earthquake that devastated the central Italian town of L’Aquila. One of the witnesses called this week is Christian Del Pinto, an Italian geophysicist who attended a meeting held by those experts the week before the deadly quake. He testified to having doubts about the scientific basis of some of the statements made during that meeting. Although the prosecution isn’t contending that the experts should have been able to predict the location or severity of a quake, it does argue that the experts’ risk evaluation was “generic and ineffective.” Del Pinto took issue with the experts’ assertion that there is little chance of a sudden increase in the magnitude of tremors within a swarm. On 30 March such an increase did occur, according to Del Pinto, and therefore it was wrong to rule out further sudden increases in magnitude. He also stated that he was troubled by the experts’ description of the swarm of tremors as an unremarkable phenomenon. The trial will resume on 12 January 2012.