USGS Animations Show Intense Ground Shaking
From 7.8 Great ShakeOut Scenario Quake
New 3-D animations showing the
way ground in the Southern California would move and shake during the
very strong 7.8 earthquake scenario planned for the Great Southern
California ShakeOut will be shown and available to the media on
November 12.
The Shake Out earthquake scenario animations will provide statewide
emergency responders a graphic tool to visualize the devastating
effects of ground movement and shaking in several locations, including
the Los Angeles Basin, for the Golden Guardian statewide emergency
response exercise, November 13 -18. The animations will also
offer another tool for scientists and policy-makers attending the
International Earthquake Conference at the Omni Hotel November 12-14.
These new computer animations assist engineers, first responders,
Southern California decision-makers and residents prepare for a large
earthquake on the San Andreas Fault at a magnitude that has occurred in
the past and may occur again in the future.
The new animations show how the underlying geology and geologic
variations in Southern California have a strong influence on the
intensity and pattern of shaking. Homes, businesses, schools and
other essential infrastructure built in areas underlain by soft
sediments are at significantly greater risk during intense ground
shaking. The results from these simulations are one of the important
tools developed for the Great Southern California ShakeOut/ Golden
Guardian exercise made available for use in engineering studies and
emergency response planning in preparation for the next big earthquake.
WHO:
� Earthquake expert Lucy Jones, Director of
the USGS
Multi-Hazards Demonstration Program
� Brad Aagaard, Geophysicist, Developer of
the ground shaking visualizations
� Robert Graves,
Seismologist, Author of the ground shaking simulation
WHEN:
Noon, Wednesday, November 12, 2008
WHERE:
Omni Hotel, California Plaza, 251 South Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA, Hershey / Crocker Room
More information about the Great Southern California ShakeOut can be
found at http://www.shakeout.org
Information about the scientific conference can be found at http://iec.lacity.org
