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The USGS Evening Public Lecture Series events are free and are intended for a general public audience that may not be familiar with the science being discussed. Our speakers are encouraged to thoroughly explain the subject matter being presented, and to define any words or terms that may be unfamiliar to those not having a background or familiarity with the material being presented.

Lectures are held at the USGS Menlo Park Science Center in Building 3, 2nd floor conference room A, Menlo Park, California. Click on Campus Map for building location and directions.

Thursday, October 30, 2008
USGS, Conference Room A, Bldg 3,
Menlo Park, California

Prehistoric Packrat Piles --
Archives of Climate Change

• Piles of ancient vegetation hoarded by packrats are providing clues to past events of rapid climate warming -- similar to those expected for the 21st century
• Preserved material shows the effects of three sudden warming events that occurred over the last 20,000 years
• Each historic warming event was followed by several thousand years of vegetation migration and succession
• Changes following these past warming events resemble some recently observed shifts in natural ecosystems, and can be incorporated into models of future ecosystems

Video: A video archive of this lecture will be available on this website on the Current Season page one to three day's after this event.

October 2008 Flyer (Acrobat PDF)

View September 2008 Lecture

Play Video (requires Flash Player)

Ready for the Next Big Bay Area Earthquake?
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake was not the Bay Area's "Big One"
but a repeat of the destructive 1868 Hayward earthquake may qualify!

• The next large Hayward Fault earthquake will effect the entire San Francisco Bay Area - Are You Prepared?
• The Hayward Fault is the most urbanized active fault in the Bay Area. The fault crosses multiple freeways, major water pipelines, and BART runs parallel to and crosses the fault.
• A large earthquake on the Hayward Fault could impact more than 5 million people with $1.5 trillion in property damage.
• October 21st marks the 140th anniversary of the last large earthquake on the Hayward Fault. Are we due for a repeat?

Upcoming 2008 Public Lecture Schedule

Monthly lectures are usually scheduled for the last Thursday evening of each month during most of the year but are occasionally presented on the preceding Thursday evening to accommodate our speakers. Also, the November and December lectures are scheduled earlier in the month to avoid conflicting with speaker and customer plans during the holiday season.

• This lecture schedule is subject to change --
• September 25 -- Tom Brocher will be speaking about the 140th anniversary of the 1868 Hayward fault earthquake

USGS Public Events Calendar (Recorded Message) --- (650) 329-5000 For additional information on the USGS Evening Public Lecture Series please contact Amelia Barrales: abarrales2@usgs.gov or telephone (650) 329-5136.