This Thu 10/16: Tanya Atwater - Living on the Edge of a Plate

[Adrian]

OCTOBER TALK

Living in the Plate Boundary and Through the Ice Ages
Guest Speaker: Tanya Atwater
7:30pm, Thursday, October 16th, 2014
FREE at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco, CA  

The geology and  landscapes of California are the results of a long history of  plate tectonic interactions. The majestic granite walls of Yosemite, the rich agricultural soils of the Central Valley, and the wild-colored rocks of the Coast Ranges all reflect a long history of subduction. Our present beloved topography of dramatic mountains and sweet valleys reflect the evolution of the San Andreas plate boundary. In turn, all these features have been modified by sea level and climate changes during the ice ages. Using maps, landscape images and computer animations, Atwater will describe and explain all these geo-treasures.

You can read more about Atwater and her background below. In the 70s, she wrote about the origins and growth of the San Andreas fault, and contributed to our current understanding of a then nascent idea — it sometimes seems hard to believe that plate tectonics is a new idea! For a little teaser of what she has to show — see the video below…

Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/12/science/a-conversation-with-tanya-atwater-she-put-the-san-andreas-fault-in-its-place.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLEF44BD21282F2328&v=G2_1dqgai10

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FUTURE TALKS

Nov 20th – Joe Jordan: Sky Phenomena
Dec – No talk. Happy holiday!.

2015

Jan 15th – Lew Stringer: Ice Plants, Mattress Wireweed & Other Onslaughts
Feb 19th – John Wick: Marin Experiments in climate and CO2 sequestration 

Mar 19th – Joel Pomerantz: The Most Extreme Storms Yet