From: eugene@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: [lm 5/27/92] Frequently asked earthquake references (where to find)
Keywords: Wegener,
Followup-To: poster
Organization: NAS Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 11:30:38 GMT
Summary: This file exists to combat scientific illiteracy
Reply-To: eugene@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Distribution: ca

Sources to most general questions about earthquakes can be found
in THE classic reference work on the subject:

%A Charles F. Richter
%Z Caltech
%T Elementary Seismology
%I W. H. Freeman Publishers (company now defunct, try a library)
%C San Francisco
%D 1958

Although this text was published before the theory of plate tectonics,
it is quite readable by the general public (the extensive math being
in the Appendix).  It covers quake dynamics, questions like animals,
weather, etc.  And it is by THE authority.

For instance page 133:
"Earthquake weather," as commonly described, is merely a popular fable.
 . . .can be traced to classical writing.  The Greeks . . .

Visit a library to find this book to answer your questions before thinking
about posting to the net.  Do you really think an 104 line net posting can
answer everything?  Richter's 1.5 inches thick and packed with information.
There are numerous other good books.  Bruce Bolt (UC Berkeley),
Norris (UCSB), and others.  Just check a library out.  Community
college classes are fun and useful (field trips!).  Additionally,
the Bay Area is especially fortunate to have the Menlo Park offices
of the US Geological Survey.  The USGS does work on cartography
(map making), seismology, volcanology, land slides, hydrology, etc.
They have tours, open house, and have speakers available on a wide
variety of subjects.  Just visit them.  They have maps, reports, etc.

On predictions specifically: earthquakes happen practically everyday
around the world.  Any GOOD prediction will have:
	latitude
	longitude
	depth
	date (with time)
	magnitude
Simplying saying "A quake will happen" is like dowsing for water.

The front of your phone book (in California), the Red Cross, Sunset
Magazine, your state and county offices of emergency services are
all good sources of information concerning earthquake preparedness.
Topics include:

+Preparing your home to prevent property damage and injury
 from falling objects (e.g. bolting houses to foundations,
 securing water heaters and bookcases, NOT having your bed under a window).

+Stocking a few days of food and water (albeit it could do you little good
 if you are not near your cache).

+Knowing what to do during (get under a doorway or desk, DO NOT run outside)
 and after an earthquake (Do you know how to turn off your utilities?).

+Try to stay off of the telephone except in EXTEREME emergencies.
 Emergency services personnel need the lines for disaster assistance.
 Temporarily disable UUCP connections as well.  If you need to make a
 call, wait patiently for a dial tone.  Clicking the receiver will
 prevent you from ever getting one.  To contact family, set up a contact
 person out of state whom everyone can call.  Calls out are given
 preference over calls into the damaged region.  Pay telephones (at
 least the ones run by Pacific Bell) are on priority service and should
 provide reliable service.

+LEARN FIRST AID.  SF 1989 showed that volunteer rescuers are critical.
 If you want to learn something useful, get a Red-Cross certification
 card, and even then, that's not a guarantee, it's First-Aid.  Any smart
 class will prepare you with pre-cautions.

 Remember STOP!
	  Think
	  Observe
	  Plan

+One past net.discussion involved fire-arms.  Guns have no use in this
 natural disaster.  That silly discussion belongs in other newsgroups.

Lastly, on a frequently mentioned topic peripheral to earthquakes:
The following message comes from a former Vice-President of Caltech:
As for "Caltech" vs. "Cal Tech," it is DEFINITELY supposed to be CALTECH,
one word, not Cal Tech.  Linda is a stickler on this, and woe unto him
who makes this mistake! She frequently finds the error in written stuff,
often stuff coming from Caltech itself.  She blasts the miscreant.
Best wishes  -----Barclay
As far as I know, it was always one word.  Supposedly, the powers that
be (or were) -- Millikan, Hale, and Noyes -- decided at the beginning that
Caltech would be different from Georgia Tech etc.  -----Barclay

Kill line:
/: [lm 5.2.92] Frequently /h:j

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From: stead@seismo.CSS.GOV (Richard Stead)
Message-Id: <9205061801.AA11560@skadi.CSS.GOV>
To: eugene@nas.nasa.gov
Subject: Re: Ferndale shocks south
Status: R

> Debating whether to place your blocks diagrams into the FAQ or just
> continue to keep it short and point to references.  I'd add direction
> arrows if I did

Yeah, I did those kinda quick.  Arrows are nice.  3d perspective is even
better, but ascii characters are a bit limiting ...

As for the FAQ, I'm all for short FAQs, but thrust, normal and strike-slip
is such a fundemental concept (like magnitude and intensity, which
everyone has trouble with as well), that a case could be made for putting
it in a FAQ.  CA is pretty much strike-slip so it may be of only marginal
value for ca.earthquakes.  Maybe next time I'll try to explain beach balls 8-).

--Richard

Article 2923 of ca.earthquakes: