On The Necessity of Geology

[Sagan]

There is an urgent need for talking and teaching geology.

Many people don’t know it. They think geology is rocks, but if they’re not rock aficionados, it’s nothing to do with them. So our K-12 schools inadequately teach the earth sciences (pdf). People don’t learn about geology, and they grow up to move to hazardous areas without being aware of the risks. They grow into politicians who feel it’s smart to sneer at volcano monitoring. They become people who don’t understand what geologists can and cannot do, and imprison scientists who couldn’t predict the unpredictable.

So we need to talk geology, anywhere and everywhere we can.

A while ago at work, we got on the subject of earthquakes. I don’t remember how it happened, but suddenly, I was surrounded by a gaggle of people whilst I pulled up a diagram of the local subduction zone and delivered a mini-lecture on how it works.

You’d think such pontification would drive people away. It didn’t. They were riveted...

more> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...retool_Twitter

[merc]

I don't know where I'm a gonna go when the volcano blows? Sorry. I remember during the sumatra tsunami that a school kid recognized the warning signs and alerted people who heeded her warning and survived.

I don't live in an earthquake zone and the first time I was in an earthquake I thought it was a poltergeist or a truck going by??? Everything was rattling on the shelves and I was sitting on my bed tying my shoes puzzled. There was also this strange roaring deep sound more like a vibration than sound.

[whiteman]

We had an earthquake here in the NW about twelve years ago. I was going to school and I had a test that morning, so I pulled an all-nighter the night before. I was rewarding myself by going to my favorite resteraunt, an all you can eat chinese resteraunt that is unbelievably good. I was delerious from the lack of sleep, but I had the where-with-all to get underneath the table when the earthquake started. Across from me was a fish tank with a large goldfish. The water in the tank was going from one end of the tank to the other, and so was the goldfish. Each time the water reached one end of the tank the goldfish went with it, almost going over the side each time, but it stopped shaking and the goldfish was still in the tank. It was definitely a weird experience.

I live on the coast and the experts say we're due for a big earthquake and tsunami, so the thought of an earthquake and a tsunami is something that's on my mind.