California Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics
Wednesdays, February 11 and 18 | 1:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Bethany Congregational Church 556 N. Hope Avenue, Santa Barbara
VISTAS member price: $30; non-member price: $45
Presented by Ralph Archuleta
First session: Plate tectonics—a changing planet. The earth’s surface is in perpetual motion. It is not a single entity but a collection of fragments (plates) that jostle against one another as they slide over a molten mantle below. The result is an ever-changing landscape of mountain chains like the Andes or Himalaya, seas such as the Gulf of California, and chains of islands such as Hawaii.
Second session: California earthquakes—a focus on Santa Barbara. The boundary between the North American and Pacific Plates cuts through California—its most obvious feature being the San Andreas fault. Some of the most hazardous faults lie miles below the south coast and reach the surface in the Santa Barbara Channel. These faults can produce earthquakes similar in magnitude to the 1994 Northridge and 1971 San Fernando quakes and threaten the South Coast.