Public forum on quake preparations Thursday
- August 5, 2008
These photos show the "before and after" as the devastation of the last major Hayward earthquake is chronicled by the 1868 Alliance.A major earthquake strikes the San Francisco East Bay Area along the Hayward Fault an average of once every 140 years.
On the 140th anniversary of the last major quake to strike the area, the Hayward Campus of California State University, East Bay will be the site for a conference on "Earthquake Hazards in the Eastern San Francisco Bay Area" Oct. 22-24.
As part of the commemoration of the 140th anniversary of the 1868 Hayward Earthquake, a free public forum on earthquake hazards and preparedness will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23 in the New University Union at Cal State East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., in Hayward.
Earthquake experts from throughout the country will make presentations at the conference, to be attended by scientists and engineers from universities, government agencies, and private industry.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, earthquake science workshops and tutorials for school educators will take place.
It was on Oct. 21,1868 when a quake estimated at 6.8 on the Richter Scale struck the San Francisco Bay region along the Hayward Fault. It is described by the U.S. Geological Survey as one of the most destructive in California history.
"Recent studies show that powerful Hayward Fault quakes have repeatedly jolted the region in the past, about every 140 years," said Thomas Brocher, coordinator of Northern California earthquake hazard investigations for the USGS. "Our scientists described this fault as a tectonic time bomb, due anytime for another magnitude 6.8 to 7.0 earthquake. Because such a quake could cause hundreds of deaths, leave thousands homeless, and devastate the region's economy, the USGS and other organizations are working together with new urgency to help prepare Bay Area communities."
Registration fee for the conference is $100 per person for those who attend all three days, and $50 for single-day registration. Students and K-12 teachers may register to attend all three days of the conference for $25.
The Conference on Earthquake Hazards in the Eastern San Francisco Bay Area is co-sponsored by California State University, East Bay; the U.S. Geological Survey; the California Geological Survey; University of California, Berkeley; Earthquake Engineering Research Institute of Northern California; Seismological Society of America; Structural Engineers Association of Northern California; and URS Corporation.
Further information about the conference is available at www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/News/Pages/eastbayconference.aspx or by contacting Keith Knudsen of the 1868 Alliance at (510) 874-3120 or via e-mail at keith.knudsen@1868alliance.org.
