Dr. Kate Sharer will present a guest lecture at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. The program, entitled “Frequency of large earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault: evidence from the trenches,” is open to the public at no charge.
Scharer is a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. She specializes in the study of prehistoric earthquakes, and spends much of her time on the San Andreas Fault. She earned a B.S. from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. Before moving to southern California, she was a professor at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.
“Paleoseismology, the study of prehistoric earthquakes, uses the geologic record to understand the size and timing of large, ground rupturing earthquakes,” said Sharer. “In this talk I will present paleoseismic evidence that is used to understand the past history of the southern San Andreas Fault. With examples of data from sites from Parkfield to the Salton Sea, we will tour the differences in prehistoric activity along the fault, consider the statistics of earthquake recurrence, and evaluate future scenarios based on the past. New data from the junction of the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults will be highlighted.”