Usually I'm reluctant to post emails because not sure of the ethics of doing this...but this one clearly seems to be for the public and of interest to earthwaves....so here it is. In my new place, I only have 3 channels (broadcast)...only 1 has good picture (NBC), and all it shows is dismal crime dramas,,,
Chris

"L.A.'s Future Quake" documentary features current SCEC research

A new documentary featuring cutting-edge visualizations of large earthquakes in Southern California will be shown tonight, September 6, at 5pm and 8pm (PDT) on the National Geographic Channel. It will also be shown on September 9th at 4 pm (PDT).

The program will feature a sophisticated simulation of a magnitude 7.7 earthquake at the south end of the San Andreas fault, beginning near the Salton Sea and rupturing towards San Bernardino. While more than 100 miles from downtown Los Angeles, the simulation shows that the seismic waves created would be amplified and guided into the Los Angeles area by the sedimentary basins south of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The intensity of the ground shaking in the sedimentary basins would be greater than estimated by previous models, according to Thomas Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) and professor of earth sciences at the University of Southern California.

SCEC conducted the study as part of its ongoing TeraShake simulation project, funded by the National Science Foundation. Kim Olsen of San Diego State University led the research team, and the simulations and visualizations were computed at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California in San Diego. The study was published in the April 16 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. Maps and animations are available at http://www.scec.org/sanandreas.

The program also includes similar visualizations for an earthquake on the Puente Hills fault, beneath central Los Angeles and much of the San Gabriel valley.

Related links:

Distant Quake Could Hit Los Angeles Hard
http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/12471.html

TeraShake project webpage
http://epicenter.usc.edu/cmeportal/TeraShake.html

New Scripps Study Reveals San Andreas Fault Set for the 'Big One'

http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?article_num=736

Major Losses of Up to $250 Billion Projected for Earthquakes on Puente Hills Fault
http://www.scec.org/research/050525puentehills.html

Media inquiries:

Mark Benthien
Director of Communication, Education and Outreach
Southern California Earthquake Center, an NSF/USGS Center
University of Southern California
3651 Trousdale Parkway, Ste. 169
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0742
web: www.scec.org
e-mail: benthien@usc.edu