Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) Workshop and Application

 On June 9, 1999, Jill Andrews and Mark Benthien gave presenta-tions to the Emergency Preparedness Commission for Los Angeles County and the cities in the area. Andrews spoke about SCEC and its outreach programs, highlighting the programs that SCEC is conducting with the city and county of Los Angeles, that include:

Three pieces of software in current use for studies of earthquake and fault interaction will be the subject of a two-day hands-on workshop to be held in Palo Alto on September 8-9. The goal is for the participants to develop sufficient skill that they will use the software in their own research and teach its use to others.

The Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) is a proposed facility for investigating active tectonic and magmatic processes of the Pacific/ Juan de Fuca­North American plate boundary through measurements of crustal deformation. The study of plate boundary deformation is a research area that deserves increased attention from a broad spectrum of Earth scientists. Toward that end, a workshop will be convened on October 3­5 in Snowbird, Utah, to help develop the plans for such an observatory.

Steven Ganz, first executive director of the Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC), recently moved to the private sector, joining an Internet start-up based in San Francisco. In that move, the Earthquake Information Providers (EqIP) also loses a member of its steering committee.

SCEC has joined with the American Red Cross and the Allstate Foundation in a project that will help teachers integrate disaster safety concepts into their regular lesson plans.

Chairperson Jill Andrews announced that the Earthquake Informa-tion Providers (EqIP) group has finished a full revision of the group's Web-based catalog of earthquake-related resources. In addition, the group is submitting a proposal to NSF to continue the development of the site.

A new document produced by a committee of engineers and geologists with academic, practicing, and regulatory backgrounds has been published by the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC). "Recommended Procedures for Implementation of DMG Special Publication 117 - Guidelines for Analyzing and Mitigating Liquefaction Hazards in California" is intended to help engineers, geologists and building officials competently evaluate and take protective measures against the potential liquefaction hazard in many areas of southern California

SCEC is continuing its preparations for the second phase of a major earthquake study of southern California, referred to as the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment (LARSE II). The purpose of the study is to increase understanding of the potential for earthquakes in southern California by mapping hidden earthquake faults like the one that caused the 1994 Northridge earthquake and by gathering data to estimate how severely the ground will shake in different places in future earthquakes.

For over 75 years, the American Geophysical Union has provided a focal point for those who are expanding the frontiers of the geophysical sciences. For six days in December, geoscientists from across the globe gathered in San Francisco to share geoscience research and ideas about where the geosciences are headed.

The 100-km long, linear LARSE II passive array spans the Santa Monica Mountains, San Fernando Valley, Western Transverse Ranges, San Andreas fault, and western Mojave Desert. The goals of the experiment are to examine crustal and upper mantle seismic velocity structure, seismic hazard associated with anomalous site amplification, and tectonic evolution of the westernmost Transverse Ranges.

Leon Knopoff has decided to retire as leader of the Earthquake Physics Group after eight years and many solid accomplishments.