Category Archives: Geology and Seismology

… In Which I Am Revealed to Be Only Marginally Prepared for a Very Big Earthquake

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

A few months ago, I volunteered myself, my daughter, and my home to serve as on-camera crash-test dummies for a series of earthquake-preparedness videos produced by Totally Unprepared, a public-awareness organization which describes itself as… … what happens when you … Continue reading →

Posted in Accident or Ill Fortune, Calamity, Geology and Seismology, Infrastructure, Media | 10 Comments

Our Seismologist Explains Why Bernal’s Chert Is Better Than Soft Rock During an Earthquake

Posted on October 17, 2011 by

In pretty much every earthquake post that has appeared on this blog, I have extolled the virtues of Bernal’s beloved red chert because it doesn’t shake all that hard even during really big seismic events — especially compared to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bernal Hill, Geology, Geology and Seismology | 24 Comments

Our Seismologist Evaluates Last Night’s Earthquake

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

So, did you feel last night’s earthquake? I sure did. Heard it too. Good times. Julian Lozos, Bernalwood’s Senior Seismologist, wasn’t here for the shake, but after it he tweeted up a storm from his high-tech monitoring post. Here’s some … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology and Seismology | 6 Comments

In an Earthquake, Bernal Heights Will Rock; Less Likely to Shake

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

Let us now pause to appreciate some encouraging seismic prognostication news from the Association of Bay Area Governments: In a major earthquake, Bernal Heighs is likely to fare reasonably well compared to much of the rest of the city, thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology and Seismology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Shaking Bernalwood: Today’s Earthquake Moved Our Chert

Posted on April 18, 2011 by

Bernalwood’s own Bronwyn Ximm reports that today’s freaky-auspicious 105th anniversary earthquake moved the ground beneath her home: OMG did you feel that? We just did.. chert be damned! Several similar reports coming through via Twitter. For those keeping score at … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Geology and Seismology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Our Seismologist Explains Why the 1906 Earthquake Did Little Damage to Bernalwood

Posted on April 18, 2011 by

As we noted earlier, today is the 105th anniversary of the Great Earthquake of 1906 — the infamous M7.8 rupture along the San Andreas Fault that severely damaged San Francisco before subsequent fires did the rest of the work destroying … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Geology and Seismology, History | 6 Comments

The 1906 Earthquake, as Experienced from Bernal Heights

Posted on April 18, 2011 by

Today is the 105th anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. So what was the big event like here in Bernal Heights? Rather uneventful, actually. Bernal itself suffered relatively little damage — thank you, chert! — and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology and Seismology, History, Uncategorized, Video | 2 Comments

Meanwhile, Will Bernalwood Get Hit By a Radioactive Cloud?

Posted on March 17, 2011 by

It goes without saying that the situation in Japan is upsetting. As fellow fault-dwellers, most of us feel a spontaneous sympathy toward others who endure the calamity and loss of an earthquake — and a 9.0 is a VERY big … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Geology, Geology and Seismology, Uncategorized, Weather | Leave a comment

New Earthquake Zoning Maps Should Not Rattle Bernal Heights

Posted on February 14, 2011 by

Last week, the California Geological Survey released its latest set of fault zoning maps. These divide the state into a rectangular grid, with the parts of the grid containing active faults marked in red. Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of red … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Geology and Seismology | 6 Comments

Our Seismologist Assesses Last Friday’s Earthquake, Bernal Bedrock, and Our Good Fortune

Posted on January 10, 2011 by

Julian Lozos, Bernalwood’s Seismologist-in-Residence, has been pouring over the data on the earthquake that rocked the Bay Area last Friday afternoon. Here is his report: Some of you may have felt the magnitude 4.1 earthquake that rocked the Bay Area … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology and Seismology | 1 Comment

Our Seismologist Reports on Current Trends in Earthquake Science, Predicts Possible Hipster Exodus from The Mission

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

Julian Lozos, Bernalwood’s Senior Seismologist, has spent much of this week at the American Geophysical Union’s AGU 2010 conference, which is taking place downtown at the Moscone Convention Center. Julian filed this report to update us on the latest scientific … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology and Seismology | 1 Comment