AWARDEE OF EARTH SCIENCES PRIZE

CHEN YONG

Abstract

Prof. Chen Yong graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1965, majoring in Geophysics. From 1970's he worked on rock physics under high temperautre and high pressure. He revealed the effect of the stress path on the properties of rock, developed the pulse-laser holographic interferometry applied to tock deformation measurements, studied the thermally induced acoustic emission in granite. The thermal cracking results had been used in the international safety regulation of nuclear plants.
Prof. Chen Yong was the director of the Institute of Geophysics (1983-1985),the deputy director-general of State Seismological Bureau (1985-1996),vice president of World Data Center-D (1986-1994)and the member of executive committee of international Seismological Center (1989-1997).He is the vice president of Chinese Geophysical Society and the vice president of Chinese Seismological Society.
From 1990's， Prof. Chen Yong worked on the seismic hazard assessment and seismic risk analysis. He compiled the World seismic hazard and risk maps by integrating the sensmology, engineering and social science together, which were widely used by the UN agencies as well as by the insurance industries. He was elected as the chairman of the commission on earthquake prediction and hazard of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior.
Prof. Chen Yong has published more than ten textbooks and monographs, of which “The Tangshan great earthquake of 1976-An anatomy of disaster”, “Rock physics”, “Seismic Hazard and risk” and “Fractal Geometry(in Chinese)” have had a significant influence both in China and in abroad. Thanks to his contributions to the study of rock physics and sensmic risk assessment, he has been awarded many times the “award for Progress in science and Technology”.
Prof. Chen Yong was elected a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1993.