Designing facilities very near active faults presents unique challenges that require an interdisciplinary approach. Sound engineering and earth science principles can be employed to address the hazards associated with surface fault rupture and near-fault ground shaking. Robust procedures exist for evaluating the consequences of permanent and transient ground movements. Whereas their use in designing systems to accommodate ground movements due to a variety of phenomena is widely accepted, their use in areas containing surface traces of active faults is often questioned, even when the anticipated ground movements are minimal. Active faults cannot always be avoided, nor should they be avoided when their hazard is far less than other hazards. We can live with the earth's faults.

Jonathan Bray is a Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned engineering degrees from West Point (B.S.), Stanford University (M.S.), and U. C. Berkeley (Ph.D.). He has been a registered professional civil engineer since 1985, and he has served as a consultant on several key engineering projects, peer review panels, and legal cases. Prof. Bray has authored more than 250 research publications. His expertise includes surface fault rupture, ground motions, liquefaction, seismic slope stability, and post-earthquake reconnaissance. He has earned several honors, including the Joyner Lecture, Prakash Research Award, ASCE Huber Research Prize, Packard Foundation Fellowship, and NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award.