Earthquake Ground Motions, SWOCC Geology Lecture Series, Nov. 8

Coos Bay, OR – Southwestern’s geology lecture series continues when Dr. Arthur Rodgers comes to Southwestern on Friday, November 8, 2019 at 7:00 pm. Dr. Rodgers will present a lecture on “Supercomputer Modeling: Earthquake Ground Motions 150 Years After the 1868 Hayward Fault Rupture”. Dr. Rodgers comes to Coos Bay as a distinguished lecturer Lectures Series. For nearly two decades, the IRIS/SSA lecture series has enabled world-renowned scientists to travel and speak to public audiences about cutting-edge earthquake and seismologic research. Dr. Arthur Rodgers is a seismologist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). He works on high-performance computing and computational seismology. This work involves modeling of seismic waves from earthquakes and explosions. Dr. Rodgers has worked with teams on modeling quakes in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as educational outreach with the California Academy of Sciences, LLNL’s Science on Saturday program and the American Museum of Natural History. He obtained a B.S. in Physics from Northeastern University and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. He was a postdoctoral scholar at New Mexico State University and UC Santa Cruz and a Fulbright Scholar in Grenoble France. He is currently a Visiting Researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley Seismology Lab. His lecture will describe supercomputer modeling of earthquake ground motions with a focus on large Hayward Fault ruptures. The last major earthquake on the Hayward Fault, with magnitude 6.5-7.0, occurred on October 21, 1868. This earthquake caused significant damage to structures for the few thousands of people living in the “East Bay” at that time. Geologic evidence strongly suggests major earthquakes on the Hayward Fault occur about every 140-160 years. It has been 150 years since the 1868 event, where today approximately 2.5 million people live near the Hayward Fault. Therefore, simulations like the one on the Hayward Fault can help inform policy makers and the general public about seismic hazard and risk. Geology Lecture Series talks are free and are held in the Hales Center for the Performing Arts on Southwestern’s Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay. For those not able to attend in person, all lectures are Livestreamed and archived, with access from the College’s web site at https://livestream.com/SWOCC/geology2019-20. Additional talks in the series for this academic year include: Dr. Sarah Minson (US Geological Survey) for The 15th Annual Cascadia Anniversary Lecture on “Imminent Shaking: What Kind of Earthquake Warning is Possible?” on January 24, 2020; TBA on March 13 or 14, 2020; Dr. Sean Davis (NOAA) on “Lessons at the School of Hard Knocks: From the Ozone Hole to Global Climate Change” on April 24, 2020 and Dr. Ginny Edgcomb (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute) an Ocean Drilling Program distinguished lecturer with “Life at the Edge of What is Possible: Microbial Biosignatures in the Lower Oceanic Crust” on May 16, 2020. Lecture series sponsors include DB Western, The Mill Casino-Resort, IRIS/SSA, Ocean Discovery Lecture Series, the Southwestern Foundation, and the College.