EARTHQUAKE 1906-2006
Three men and three women are grouped in front of a large, white two-story Santa Rosa home that has fallen off its foundation in the 1906 earthquake. Temporary bracing is set up against the front of the house. One woman is on crutches. A large tent set up on the lawn is visible on the left side. (Photo by Henry Hoyt)
Library Shows Quake History with "The 1906 Earthquake: Sonoma Stories"
It became known as “The Great Quake of 1906”- a massive temblor that rocked the west coast from Oregon to Los Angeles. April 18, 2006 marks the centennial anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
In commemoration of this event, Sonoma State University Library Art Gallery hosts the exhibition "The 1906 Earthquake: Sonoma Stories" which runs April 7 through June 6 with a reception from 3-4:30 p.m. on April 7. "Two main themes have driven the organization of the show," 
says Professor of Art History Michael Schwager.
"First is a focus on Sonoma County, especially Santa Rosa and how severely this area was affected by the 1906 earthquake, and secondly, the human stories behind the disaster." Photos from the exhibit are available at library.sonoma.edu/regional.
At left, students from Michael Schwager's museum studies class look over possible photographs to include in the exhibit.
OLLI Course Ends in Look
at Actual Fault Zones, Predictions
SSU geology professor Tom Anderson approaches the story of the 1906 earthquake from a different vantage point...the reasons behind the upheaval of the earth itself. He leads a eight-week course of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute called "1906 SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE CENTENNIAL: What have we learned, when will it happen again?."
Anderson says studies of major earthquakes during the last century have provided scientists with an understanding of what specific factors are important in causing damage during an earthquake, not only from ground vibration but also from secondary factors such as liquefaction, fire, landslides, and tsunamis.
A major emphasis in earthquake research is the area of prediction, still an elusive goal. "We will discuss the status of earthquake prediction and examine the various approaches that seem to have potential to solve this problem," he says. An all-day field trip will be taken on Friday, May 19, to visit local fault zones and observe their effects on the local landscape. More