How Earthquakes Are Measured | Randall Museum

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Thinkwalks and SF Natural History Series present a non-technical talk with extensive Q&A on the science of quake measurement and interpretation.

Let’s say you feel an earthquake of moderate size. Once the shaking stops, you think, “Wow, was that the big one far off or a small one close by?” The answer isn’t simply one number. Magnitude is certainly one way to describe an earthquake, but what is magnitude? What goes into that measurement? It’s also far from the only thing that scientists measure when a quake hits. And while we’re asking, how were quakes measured in the past?

Using a scenario Bay Area earthquake as a starting point, seismologist Julian Lozos will describe what measurements happen during, immediately after, and a little while after a big quake. There are also ongoing measurements that help make sense of past earthquakes and possible future ones.

Julian Lozos, a postdoctoral researcher with the US Geographic Survey and Stanford University, will present material for a general audience and answer your questions. Julian’s research is focused on using computer models to help understand the physics of earthquakes; he is particularly interested in understanding earthquakes that involve more than one fault. There are many faults in the Bay Area which tend to interact. Bring your friends and your questions.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.