HW teaches large intro Oceanography classes. She points out when she is showing a slide from NOAA or USGS because these are government agencies. Most earthquake research in USA is funded by US government, and most in the world is funded by various national governments. The tea party folks and other Republicans are trying to cut budgets drastically (yes, I agree something has to happen with the deficits, but could let the tax cuts expire; that would help). I've heard 2nd hand that the currently proposed cuts include part of the Pacific tsunami warning center. the posts I made on the approaching tsunami were all of products of that center.

OK: Bodega Bay: The deep pit of the foundation for a nuclear power plant was actually dug; I've seen pictures of it. This was within or immediately next to the San Andreas fault zone. OK, worth the Google search: is linked. Wikipedia shows an aerial shot and you could probably use that and Google Earth to see how close to the fault the hole is. For those who think the Sierra Club is evil (I have been a member since James Watt became secretary of Interior under, I think, Reagan): they were involved in blocking the Bodega Bay plant.

Diablo Canyon was planned and designed without taking into account the fact that there was a major fault just offshore, even though a map showing that fault was published in 1971 by Hoskins and Griffths (thus, "Hosgri fault"). PG&E had hearings in the 1980s so they could charge their ratepayers, I think, about $2 billion for the redesign. They all paid about $35 million to have proper geologic studies in the late 1980s, after the plant was already operating. I went on the 1990 "Friends of the Pleistocene" field trip that went over that work. The work seemed excellent: was done by consultants like Lettis and Associates. At that time (about 1990), some at USGS were still insisting that the Hosgri fault was a thrust fault. I know this because I was standing there 2 m away at a workshop when there was a bit of tense oral argument between Bill Lettis (who was correct) and a USGS person who will remain nameless and who no longer works for USGS.

I took Bill Lettis in the field to show him where I had found the only place where the Hosgri fault comes ashore: at the little finger of Pt Arguello in Vandenberg Air Force base. It is only ashore for about 30 meters...it goes back offshore. On one of the fault surfaces within the 4 m-thick fault, there were strike-slip striations (scratches) on hardened tar.

This is about 2 km south of the Destroyer monument, which is a "hole in the head" story for another time or upon request.

Chris

• Bodega Bay "hole in the head"