USGS Office of Communications
Science Picks—Leads, Feeds, and Story Seeds
April 2006 Edition
For Release: UPON RECEIPT
Something old, something new, and something shaky! April 18 marks the 100th anniversary of the most damaging earthquake in U.S. history, the magnitude-7.8 1906 Earthquake in Northern California. The San Andreas Fault ruptured about 300 miles throughout Northern California during this event. The resulting earthquake and fire in San Francisco that followed caused catastrophic damage to cities and towns throughout the region and had a dramatic impact on the culture and history of California. This month’s Science Picks is dedicated to the new science emerging from study of this event, an event so devastating 100 years ago it initiated national interest in the study of earthquakes and disaster prevention.
A summary listing of Web links for
all USGS science products and efforts related to the 1906 earthquake can
be found at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906.
New products will be posted at this Web site as they are released throughout
the next few months. Photos and Web links are provided to enhance your
story. If you would like to receive Science Picks via email, would
like to change the recipient, or no longer want to receive it, please email
dmakle@xxxxxxxx.
April Highlights:
· Take
a Virtual Tour of the 1906 Earthquake
· Living
in Earthquake Country
· A
Face -to -Face View Underground — “Earthquake Fault Exhibit”
· Passion
to a “Fault,” Earthquake Guidebook Paved Way for Therapy
· Finding
Fault: Two New Maps Reveal Geologic Hazards
· New
Earthquake Documentary Reveals “Shocking” Progress
· “Shak’in”Going
On - Scientists Recreate Shaking of 1906
and more…
LEADS:
Take a Virtual Tour of the 1906
Earthquake: The USGS has created a virtual, interactive tour of the
magnitude-7.8 April 18, 1906 earthquake in Northern California. The virtual
tour, using the three-dimensional geographic mapping tool Google Earth™,
begins with a view from space and zooms in on the 300-mile rupture of the
1906 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. Using overlays of ground-shaking
intensity, damage, historic photos and firsthand accounts, the 1906 earthquake
is revealed in its historic and scientific context. The virtual tour can
be accessed online at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/virtualtour/.
For more information, contact Jim Lienkaemper at (650) 329-5642 or jlienk@xxxxxxxx
or Stephanie Hanna at (206) 220-4573 or at shanna@xxxxxxxx.
Living in Earthquake Country:
Buying property in the Bay Area? In commemoration of the 100th anniversary
of the 1906 Earthquake, the USGS and 11 Federal, State, local, and civic
earthquake authorities have developed a guide that explains the Bay Area
earthquake threat and for how to prepare for earthquakes. “Putting Down
Roots in Earthquake Country: Your Handbook for the San Francisco Bay Region”
is available to the general public. View the handbook online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15/.
For more information on Putting Down Roots, as well as, earthquake science
and technology, contact Susan Garcia, at 650-329-4668 or Garcia@xxxxxxxx,
or Stephanie Hanna at (206) 220-4573 or at shanna@xxxxxxxx.
A Face -to -Face View of an
Earthquake Fault Underground: The 1906 Centennial Alliance will host,
"The Hayward Fault - An Interpretive Viewing and Educational Exhibit,"
in Fremont, Calif., in late April and throughout May (near Sailway Drive
in Central Park. Visitors will descend a staircase to meet the Hayward
Fault "face -to -face.” The exhibit was developed by the USGS and
Geomatrix Consultants and features a 12-15 feet-deep excavation across
the Hayward Fault. The tour is free and open to the public on weekends
from 10am-3pm. Weekday tours for school groups and others may also be scheduled
by submitting a request by visiting http://1906centennial.org/activities/trench.
For more information, contact either Heidi Stenner at (650) 329-4801 or
at hstenner@xxxxxxxx,
or Stephanie Hanna at (206) 220-4573 or at shanna@xxxxxxxx
Passion to a “Fault” — Earthquake
Guidebook Paved Way for Therapy: When he learned he had lymphoma
in 2004, Philip Stoffer, a USGS geologist, found solace in writing “Where’s
the San Andreas Fault? A Guidebook to Tracing the Fault on Public Lands
in the San Francisco Bay Region.” The field guide will be released
this month by the USGS and the National Park Service. From his hospital
bed, Stoffer put his passion to work, taking readers to more than 50 destinations
along the 800-mile fault, including 20 different hiking trips in national
and local parks. The field guide can be accessed online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2006/16/.
To learn more about “Phil’s
Top 10 Favorite Bay Region Places to Visit” along the fault, contact him
at (650) 329-5028 or at pstoffer@xxxxxxxx,
or Clarice Ransom at (703) 648-4299 or at cransom@xxxxxxxx.
Finding Fault: Two New Maps
Reveal Geologic Hazards: On April 13, two new maps of the San Francisco
Bay Area will give residents and others a new look at the geologic history
and hazards of the region. The new "Map of Quaternary-active faults
in the San Francisco Bay Region" depicts where faults have pushed
up mountains and generated earthquakes over the past 2 million years, the
most probable source of the next major earthquake, and provides answers
to common questions about faults. The "Geologic Map of the San Francisco
Bay region" demonstrates how geologists study the age and origin of
the rocks and deposits that we live on and reveals the complicated geologic
history that has led to the landscape that shapes the Bay Area. Both maps
will be available for $7 each from USGS Information Services, 1-888-ASK-USGS.
For more information, see the San Francisco Bay region geology website,
http://sfgeo.wr.usgs.gov
or contact Russ Graymer at (650) 329-4988.
FEEDS:
“Shak’in”Going On - Scientists
Recreate Shaking of 1906: The most comprehensive study to date revealing
how hard and how long the ground shook, throughout the region, during the
1906 earthquake is brought to life with real-time animations. Scientists
at the USGS, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Stanford University,
University of California Berkeley, and URS Corporation collaborated on
the development of the simulations of strong ground shaking. Movies showing
the scientist’s models for the 1906 earthquake can be downloaded at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/simulations/.
Talk to a USGS scientist and learn about the two-year scientific
study and the technology used to simulate the event. For more information,
contact Brad Aagaard at (650) 329-4789 or at baagaard@xxxxxxxx,
or Stephanie Hanna at (206) 220-4573 or at shanna@xxxxxxxx.
Working 24/7 - Seismologists
Anyone? Living in earthquake country? Many Americans
are. The USGS is taking steps to improve seismic monitoring and information
delivery to mitigate the effects of earthquakes. The USGS Earthquake
Center in Golden, Colo., now has staff on-site 24/7, using a new technology
called HYDRA to identify, locate, and measure earthquakes worldwide. These
changes are already enhancing the speed and delivery of earthquake notifications.
For more information, see http://earthquake.usgs.gov,
or contact Heidi Koontz at (303)
202-4763 or hkoontz@xxxxxxxx.
Partnership Puts Earthquake
Science in the Classroom: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released
two new educational resources to help teachers explain earthquake science.
The educational tools are part of commemoration activities for the 100th
anniversary of the Earthquake of 1906. A new USGS publication, "Earthquake
Science Explained” at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2006/21/, highlights how
scientists study earthquakes, what evidence they collect, and what they
have learned since the 1906 Earthquake. “The Teaching Box,” http://www.teachingboxes.com/,
contains earthquake instructional materials complete with fully developed
curriculum, teaching points, and easy-to-reproduce handouts. For more information,
contact Matt D’Alessio at (650) 329-4829 or at dalessio@xxxxxxxxx
Kites, Cameras and Earthquakes:
What a sight it must have been when professional photographer George
Lawrence shot “San Francisco in Ruins,” an aerial view of the city using
a train of kites with his 49-pound camera. That was three weeks after the
April 18, 1906 Earthquake that caused at least 3,000 deaths, left more
than 200,000 homeless, and destroyed of more than 28,000 buildings from
fires. Its 100 years later, and a USGS scientist Scott Haefner will recreate
the famous panoramic photo using the “cameras to kites” technology. The
USGS and the Drachen Foundation, a private philanthropy, have worked collaboratively
to recapture the event. For more information, see http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/kap/
or http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/info/1906/.
More information is also available by contacting Scott Haefner at 650-329-4854
or Susan Garcia at (650) 329-4668 or garcia@xxxxxxxx.
Take a Geology Field Trip in
Your Own Schoolyard: Schoolyard Geology is a new educational Web site
that provides lessons and activities for teachers and ambitious
science students to conduct a geologic field trip right in their own backyards.
Lessons and activities on the site include mapping your schoolyard using
the USGS' The National Map, locating and identifying rocks, and
learning geologic features such as glacial striations, layers, and sinkholes,
all within your neighborhood schoolyard. To access the Web site, visit
http://education.usgs.gov/schoolyard/.
For more information, contact Matthew d'Alessio at 650-329-4829
or at dalessio@xxxxxxxxx
STORY SEEDS:
New Earthquake Documentary Reveals
“Shocking” Progress: A 1906 earthquake documentary, “Shock Waves:
100 years after the 1906 Earthquake,” airs the week of April 15
on CBS-5 in San Francisco. The documentary, narrated by news anchor, Dana
King, explores a century of progress in understanding the science of earthquakes,
increasing public awareness of seismic hazards, earthquake preparedness
and mitigation, and the affects on personal lives, culture, economy and
the development of northern California. California viewers should check
local listings for the actual date and time. For more information on the
USGS documentary contact Stephanie Hanna at
(206) 220-4573 or at shanna@xxxxxxxx.
USGS Grants Available for Earthquake
Research: Readers might want to know that the USGS will award up to
$5.5 million in National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) grants
for earthquake research in 2007. All interested researchers can review
the grant announcement and apply online at www.grants.gov.
Applications are due May 2, 2006. For more information, contact Elizabeth
Lemersal at (703) 648-6716 or at lemersal@xxxxxxxxx
A Profusion of Products and Events for the 1906: In addition to events already mentioned in this news release, the U.S. Geological Survey is involved with a number of other products and events commemorating the 1906 centennial. For a comprehensive list, visit http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/. For a complete list of 1906 commemoration events, exhibits, lectures, and publications sponsored by the non-profit 1906 Earthquake Centennial Alliance see http://1906centennial.org/activities/
