Earthquake Prevention and Prediction Research Act

Earthquake Prevention and Prediction Research Act - Directs the National Science Foundation to undertake a program of research which shall: (1) develop techniques insofar as possible for preventing the occurrences of, reducing the severity of, or otherwise directly minimizing the impact of earthquakes; (2) advance earthquake engineering research; (3) develop more accurate and reliable methods of earthquake-resistant analysis and design for all types of structures and for a variety of ground conditions; (4) develop improved methods, based upon the seismological characteristics of the area, of assessing the earthquake risk at all types of locations in populated areas of high seismic risk, and of establishing land use priorities designed to reduce the hazards from earthquakes; and (5) analyze the behavioral and psychological effects of earthquakes, and develop methods to alleviate and deal with them.

Directs the National Science Foundation to develop and conduct a program of earthquake prediction which shall include: (1) heavy instrumentation of areas of high seismic risk where an earthquake would cause substantial injury to life and property, in order to obtain detailed records of data useful in developing earthquake prediction capability; (2) establishment of facilities for the collecting and computerized reduction, analysis, and interpretation from such instruments; (3) supporting procedures for field laboratory, and related theoretical studies directed toward description of predictive earthquakes phenomenon; (4) development and field testing of additional instruments which are useful in connection with the foregoing provisions of this section; (5) design and utilization of facilities and methods for the timely distribution of research and development results to the scientific and other concerned communities, including the exchange of useful information with the international earthquake research community; and (6) an analysis of the problems expected to be associated with the issuance of earthquake warnings to the population residing in high seismic risk areas and of steps which should be taken to make such warnings effective, and how to make a decision to issue such warnings.

Authorizes to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out the purposes of this Act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974, and for each of the next following three fiscal years, the sum of $20,000,000.