Community Corner

EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS: Geologist to Lecture on San Andreas Fault at San Bernardino County Museum

Earthquake hazards on the San Andreas Fault will be the subject of a talk planned by a geologist Sunday Sept. 29 at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, according to organizers.

The 2 p.m. lecture by Kathleen Springer, the museums' senior curator of geological sciences, will be included with paid museum admission. General admission is $10 for adults, $8 for military personnel and seniors, $7 for students, and $5 for children ages 5 to 12.

"The risk from a natural disaster is higher today than at any other time in our nation's history, due to our increasing reliance on technology and communications," Springer said in an announcement Friday. "Expected losses from natural hazards in the US exceed $3 billion per year."

Springer's Sept. 29 lecture has a more upbeat title: "The Great California ShakeOut: How Natural Hazard Science Creates Resilient Societies."

During a field trip to the Cajon Pass in January, Springer pointed out that communities like Redlands and Loma Linda are vulnerable to violent shaking during future earthquakes in part because they are built on slopes and sediment created by earlier land movements.

"I will illustrate in my lecture that our region straddles the mother of all faults, the mighty San Andreas fault," Springer said in her Sept. 20 announcement. "This giant gash that slices through California is the boundary between two of the largest tectonic plates on the planet, which in turn makes our area one of the most geologically active regions in North America."

Here's more from the County Museum:

The Great California ShakeOut, a statewide and now annual earthquake drill which teaches that we “Drop, Cover and Hold On” to survive a large magnitude earthquake, will occur at 10:17 a.m. on October 17, 2013. In 2012, with 9.4 million participants, the Great California ShakeOut was the largest earthquake drill in the world.

The science-driven earthquake scenario used in the Great California ShakeOut envisions a magnitude 7.8 earthquake and associated 180-mile long rupture on the southern San Andreas fault.

Springer explained that this scenario is “a remarkable teaching tool to promote earthquake awareness and preparedness to the greater community.”

Springer’s lecture will focus on the science that went into creating this hypothetical earthquake as well as the ramifications of such a disaster, when (not if) it occurs in southern California. She will highlight how the scientific research of such hazards—their risk and cost of mitigation—effectively leads to informed decision-making, thereby creating a society more resilient to such disasters.

In addition to the September 29 lecture, this fall Springer is leading two field trips along the San Andreas Fault along with organizing a free public event that will include visitors participating in the ShakeOut drill and Earthquake Safety Fair at the county museum on October 17.

See this link for a report and photos from the January 2013 field trip led by Springer:

History of Major Quakes on the San Andreas Fault Part of Tour in Cajon Pass

The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sb countymuseum.org. Visitor Services can be reached at (909) 307-2669.


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