As we have talked about in class and worked on in labs, the San Joaquin Valley (including Bakersfield) has experienced several major earthquakes in the past 150 years, including: • 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake (Mw 7.9) • 1952 White Wolf earthquake (Mw 7.5) • 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake (Mw 7.1) Your assignment is to consider the various local risks of these and other earthquakes in Bakersfield, and argue for improvements to CSUB that could mitigate these risks. Part 1: Determine the earthquake risk to CSUB “Risk” is specifically the combination of the scientific dangers of an earthquake (the “hazards,” such as shaking and other things like liquefaction, landslides, tsunamis, etc.) and the level of resilience (such as building construction, disaster response planning and preparation, or community knowledge of how to respond to an earthquake). Your first task is to determine the risks posed by earthquakes to CSUB. You will do background research on the potential effects of earthquakes in Bakersfield as well as on the preparedness of CSUB for these effects. Things you might consider for your research: • How severe could shaking be in Bakersfield? • Are there any other “secondary” effects from earthquakes that could impact CSUB, such as landslides, tsunamis, or liquefaction? • How often do earthquakes occur that could be damaging to CSUB? • Does CSUB have an earthquake preparedness plan? • How well built are various structures on campus? • What is the plan for the aftermath of the earthquake, such as evacuation, rescue, or communications? Part 2: Write a letter to President Your assignment is to write a one (1) page letter, single-spaced, to President arguing for what (if anything) should be done at CSUB to increase earthquake resilience. Your letter needs to be supported by your background research, but you must be wary of being too technical or detailed for the president, who has not taken GEOL 1209 yet! You also must select particular aspects to improve, because resources for such improvements at CSUB are limited. Your letter should address the following issues: • What hazards associated with earthquakes are most relevant to CSUB? • What weak points have you identified in CSUB’s earthquake resilience? • How can these weaknesses be mitigated? Deliverables • Approximately 300-350-word letter (no more than 1 page, single-spaced), properly addressed, signed, and otherwise formatted • If you find sources during your research (and you should!), these need to be embedded in the letter and included in your word count (because President will not read any reference list that you write!) Evaluation • Did you take into account what we have learned about the science of earthquakes? • What were you able to discover in your background research? • Are your suggestions feasible for CSUB? • Is your writing (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.) clear? • Is your logic sound? • Is your letter properly formatted? [I should be able to forward your letter directly to the President without any adjustments!]
