Thank you to our #BSLSeminar speaker, Emilie Hooft, for the compelling talk on "Crustal Architecture and Volcanic Unrest in an Extensional Arc: The Santorini Magma System!" Our next seminar will feature Robin Matoza from UC Santa Barbara. Learn more: buff.ly/MNNUtxT
It's very important to be prepared. Understand how to get @USGS_ShakeAlert earthquake early warning on your phone. Download the @MyShakeApp Know how to communicate during an emergency. Make a plan with your loved ones and community. Make and maintain a kit.
This swarm does not mean that we are about to experience a larger earthquake. Unfortunately, we just don't know! We do know that the Bay Area is due for a larger earthquake based on past frequency. So...
You are not imagining things! There is a recent uptick in small earthquakes in the San Ramon Area. This is not the first time this area has experienced a swarm, but it has been a while.
We are live at the San Ramon Community Center, where Dr. Angie Lux is sharing information about the recent swarm alongside local leaders sharing preparedness info. buff.ly/hX6XPqd
For more than 40 years, he served as a trusted public voice during major earthquakes — earning the nickname “Mr. Earthquake.”
Waverly Person passed away in 2022 at age 95. His legacy lives on in earthquake science, public communication, and the generations he inspired.
Person understood people and their need for information after earthquakes. He said, “When there’s an earthquake, people are frightened. If you relate the information to them so that they understand, they calm down.”
Person helped establish the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) in Golden, Colorado, and in 1977 became its first African American Chief.
Born in 1926 in Virginia, Person served in both WWII and the Korean War, rising to First Sergeant before earning his degree in mathematics and pursuing geophysics.
This Black History Month, we honor Mr. Earthquake: Waverly J. Person,a geophysicist, seismologist, earthquake science communicator, and longtime leader at the U.S. Geological Survey.
Thank you to our #BSLSeminar speaker, Jim Gaherty, for the wonderful talk on “An Ocean-Bottom View of Mantle Convection Beneath the Pacific Basin!" Next week, we’re excited to hear from Emilie Hooft from the University of Oregon. Learn more: buff.ly/MNNUtxT
Thank you to our #BSLSeminar speaker, Yuxin Wu, for the excellent talk on Fiber Optic Sensing
for Reliable Energy Systems! Next week, we’re excited to hear from Jim Gaherty from Northern Arizona University. Learn more: buff.ly/v6lKphy
Hot off the press! BSL Director, Prof. Richard Allen, talks about the importance of research to public earthquake safety and explains how the Lab pushes research findings into action via @MyShakeApp and @USGS_ShakeAlert in partnership with @Cal_OES. View our story now:
Thank you to our #BSLSeminar speaker, Sonia Tikoo, for the brilliant talk on Geodynamical Investigations via Hotspot Paleomagnetism! Next week, we’re excited to welcome Yuxin Wu from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory @BerkeleyLab. Learn more: buff.ly/v6lKphy
Earthquakes are part of life here, so preparedness is too.
Enjoy the Super Bowl and your time in the Bay Area!
We’re one of the most geologically fascinating (and prepared) regions on Earth 🌍
(We might be a little biased)
If you do feel shaking ➡️ Drop, Cover, and Hold On
This is the recommended safety action used across California.
What this means for visitors:
• Quakes are small and not damaging
• Swarms are common in tectonically active regions
• They don’t automatically signal a larger earthquake
• Some people feel them — others don’t notice at all
What’s going on near San Ramon?
The Tri-Valley has recently experienced an earthquake swarm — a cluster of small quakes close together in time and space.
The Bay Area sits along the boundary between two tectonic plates.
That means small earthquakes are a normal part of life here and why this region is one of the most closely monitored and well-prepared places in the world when it comes to earthquakes.
Visiting the Bay Area for the Super Bowl? 🏈🌉
Welcome! Here’s a local fact you might actually feel 👇
Thank you to our #BSLSeminar speaker, Brad Lipovsky, for the insightful talk on Fiber Sensing at the Bookends of Glaciology! Next week, we will be welcoming Sonia Tikoo from Stanford University. Learn more:
Thank you to our #BSLSeminar speaker, Dr. Yuan Tian, for the insightful talk on seismic wave amplification in sedimentary basins using 3D wavefield simulation! Next week, we will be welcoming Christie Rowe from the University of Nevada, Reno. Learn more: buff.ly/LvdVoo8
Understanding the real science helps us stay prepared for what earthquakes can actually do.
Stay safe and follow us for more Earthquake Fact or Fiction! 🌎⚡️
