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SACRAMENTO -- The
California Geological Survey’s (CGS)
special edition issue of California
Geology magazine commemorates the 1906
earthquake centennial anniversary on
April 18 using historical accounts and
photographs. Scientists and laypeople
alike will find something to enjoy in
the maps, graphics, and information the
issue collects on some of California’s
most sizeable quakes going back to 1865.
While the Great San
Francisco Earthquake is the main focus –
the wrap-around cover is a remarkable
oil painting entitled “San Francisco
Fire, 1906” by W.A. Coulter – the
72-page publication has something for
everyone interested in earthquakes and
Earth science.
“I was wakened by the
crash of falling furniture, and a
rocking, heaving house … I felt very
calm, paralyzed perhaps, but I thought,
`This is the worst thing I ever knew,
and we may be going to be killed …”
Those are the words
of Eleanor Watkins, the wife of a San
Francisco surgeon and a survivor of the
1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake.
Hers is one of the first-hand accounts
contained in the special edition issue.
The magazine
addresses all of the major earthquakes
that have struck Northern California in
a series of articles previously
published in California Geology. Several
Bay Area events – the first “Great San
Francisco Earthquake” of 1865, the 1969
Santa Rosa temblor, and the 1984 Morgan
Hill quake
(noteworthy for its
intense shaking) – are highlighted. So,
too, are the Cape Mendocino earthquakes
of 1992, the Vacaville-Winters quakes of
1892 and the 1975 Oroville earthquake.
The magazine also
includes a section on earthquake basics
such as a glossary of commonly used
seismology terms, measuring the size of
earthquakes, and various earthquake
hazards; a feature about the ongoing
international scientific efforts to
understand the Earth’s movements in
Parkfield, the self-proclaimed
“Earthquake Capital of the World;” and
profiles of CGS’ earthquake programs.
California Geology
was published from 1948-2001, but the
work of CGS to help ensure public safety
-- through the identification of seismic
and mineral hazards, the placement and
monitoring of seismic instruments,
geotechnical advice to government and
private entities, and geologic review of
potential school and hospital sites –
has continued.
“The 1906 earthquake
must have been horrific to live through;
thousands of people lost their lives and
many thousands more quite literally had
their worlds turned upside-down,” noted
Dr. John Parrish, California State
Geologist. “At the same time, the
determination, cooperation and endurance
of the people who survived and rebuilt
the entire Bay Area is inspiring to this
day. We think our special edition of
California Geology captures some of that
spirit.”
To order a copy of
the magazine for $10, call (916)
445-5716 or (650) 688-6327, or visit the
CGS office in Sacramento (801 K St.,
14th floor) or Menlo Park (345
Middlefield Road). CGS also will have
copies available at its booths at the
1906 Earthquake and Fire Exposition
(April 15-17 at Pier 48) and the 100th
Anniversary Conference (April 17-21 at
the Moscone Center).
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