Michael Hernandez is a senior undergraduate at California State University Bakersfield, pursuing a BS in Geology. His scientific interests include geological and geophysical engineering. After his anticipated graduation in May 2022, Michael plans to attend graduate school in either seismology or planetary science. Ultimately, he strives for a career in continued earth science research and becomes a hazard specialist to assist in domestic and foreign natural disaster relief.
Michael is a 2021 SOURCES intern at the Southern California Earthquake Center and working under the mentorship of Alba Rodriguez Padilla and Mike Oskin at the University of California, Davis. The project characterizes the surficial extent of the damage along seismogenic and creeping faults. Michael contributes by mapping surficial fractures from lidar data of well-exposed seismogenic and creeping normal faults to quantify the decay of fracture density with distance away from the principal fault splay and determine the orientation of the fractures. The comparison of fractures surrounding the seismogenic and creeping faults will be used to better understand how static and dynamic stresses contribute to the development of fault-damage zones.
In his free time, Michael enjoys spending time with family, listening to music, and eating lots of food.
