From geology and engineering to urban planning and individual biographies, UANDES researchers addressed seismicity as a phenomenon that transforms the entire country and its inhabitants.
Understanding earthquakes beyond their physical dimension was the central theme of the symposium, organized by the Signos Center at the School of Social Sciences, the Center for Territorial Studies , and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Universidad de los Andes.
The symposium brought together researchers and professionals from different fields with the objective of analyzing seismicity as a phenomenon that spans the territory, institutions, and the life trajectories of the country's inhabitants.
The symposium opened with welcoming remarks from Academic Vice Rector of Universidad de los Andes, José Miguel Simián, who stressed the importance of creating spaces for interdisciplinary dialogue to address a phenomenon that is a foundational part of Chilean history and experience.
The first panel, entitled "The Earthquake as a Complex Natural and Social Phenomenon," offered an initial examination of the subject from the perspective of state-building and the limits of scientific knowledge.
The opening was given by Patricio Pliscoff, a researcher at the Center for Territorial Studies and Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Lausanne, who presented a long-term analysis of the relationship between earthquakes and landscape in Chile.
From a historical and biogeographical perspective, he showed how seismic dynamics have been a structuring agent of the national territory, influencing the physical configuration of the country, the distribution of its biodiversity, and the patterns of human occupation.
Through milestones in the development of scientific thought — from Charles Darwin's experience in Chile to the formulation of the theory of plate tectonics — he explained how understanding the planet as a dynamic system enables an understanding of the uniqueness of the Chilean territory. In this context, he highlighted the role of subduction and the Andes Mountains in shaping Chile as a "biogeographic island"— a territory whose ecosystems are differentiated and deeply marked by their seismic history.
The second presentation was given by Magdalena Gil, Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University and a researcher at Pontificia Universidad Católica School of Government and of CIGIDEN, who addressed the governance of risk in Chile's seismic history. In her presentation, she proposed understanding the State as a "great insurer", whose legitimacy is linked to its ability to protect the population against external and devastating threats.
Gil argued that Chile is a particularly interesting case: despite its peripheral location relative to the major historical development centers, it has built an outstanding seismic risk management capability. This strength, she commented, is not only explained by the existence of seismic codes, but also by a broader socio-technical framework — institutions, oversight, and compliance cultures — that make these regulations effective.
She also pointed out that reconstruction processes have historically been moments of expansion of state capacity, giving rise to institutions that endure beyond the emergency.
The panel was closed by José Antonio Abell, Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from University of California, Davis, and a faculty member at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Universidad de los Andes, who addressed earthquake prediction and risk analysis in contexts of uncertainty. Abell explained that, while prediction in terms of exact date, time, and place remains unattainable, engineering provides the tools to model damage and risk scenarios,which is key for decision-making.
After the first panel's presentations, a moderated discussion was held between panelists and attendees, facilitated by Consuelo Araos, a Signos Center researcher, offering an in-depth examination of the topics addressed and the scientific, institutional, and social challenges associated with seismic risk management.
The second panel, entitled "From Catastrophe to Opportunity: Nature, City, and Life Course," was moderated by Pilar Giménez, director of the Center for Territorial Studiesand focused on the reflection on the urban, social, and biographical responses that emerge after major earthquakes.
The first presentation was given by Ángela Prado, an architect and expert in urban and territorial planning and a researcher at the Center for Territorial Studies, who addressed reconstruction efforts following the earthquake and tsunami of February 27, 2010.
From her work in the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism, she stated that, in a highly urbanized country exposed to widespread hazards, territorial planning cannot be based on exclusion, but on learning to live with risk.
She explained how the Urban Reconstruction Plan sought to balance the urgency of rebuilding housing with the need to safeguard urban quality, local identity, community participation, and the environment. She highlighted instruments such as strategic sustainable reconstruction plans, urban regeneration plans, and the updating of regulatory plans with risk studies, stressing that many of these advances were possible thanks to exceptional regulatory frameworks. Fifteen years after February 27, she warned, the challenge remains to build on these lessons learned and to prevent planning from once again relegating risk to the background.
The second presentation provided an international perspective from a local management perspective. Elenka Jarolimek, an emergency manager in the city of Seattle, United States, presented how a coastal municipality on the Pacific coast of North America prepares for a possible catastrophic earthquake.
Drawing on her practical experience, she explained that Seattle faces seismic hazards comparable to those in Chile and that its planning is oriented toward functional recovery, understood as the rapid restoration of the city's essential functions.
One of the central themes of her presentation was the incorporation of social equity in risk planning. Through the GeoEquity Planning project, she showed how the intersection of seismic damage models and demographic data allows the identification of areas where social vulnerability and physical risk overlap, guiding preventive actions, urban development decisions, and targeted communication strategies.
The panel was closed by Margarita Monckeberg, Ph.D. in Communication from Universidad de los Andes and a postdoctoral researcher at the Signos Center, who examined the earthquake as a biographical milestone.
Beginning with the case of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, she explored how catastrophe fractures not only cities and landscapes, but also memories, family decisions, and life trajectories.
Monckeberg collected historical accounts and personal testimonials to show how earthquakes have shaped a telluric memory in Chile and dwelt on lesser-known episodes of the 1960 disaster, such as the maritime evacuation of children from Valdivia and Corral.