US Geological Survey Studies the Ground Beneath Our Feet

Both gravitational and magnetic data is used to describe the underground geology. This illustration is of gravitational readings locating structures in the South Sound. Click the image for a larger view.

A few years ago, the Steamboat Peninsula was visited by a research team from the Geologic Hazards Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. These researchers were using equipment to view cross-sections of geologic structures far beneath the ground. This last July, the results of this research, a paper entitled, Shallow geophysical imaging of the Olympia anomaly: An enigmatic structure in the southern Puget Lowland, Washington State, was published.

A significant benefit of this kind of research is to identify areas where stress might build and quickly release in the form of an earthquake. The Puget Sound occupies a seismically active area, located along a line where the Juan de Fuca plate is squeezed under the North America plate.

The convergence of the Juan de Fuca plate, at a rate of ~50 mm/yr (Atwater, 1970; DeMets et al., 1994), has historically produced great (magnitude, M8–9) earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone (e.g., Nelson et al., 2006) that pose a primary seismic hazard for the region (Petersen et al., 2002).

But what’s the story, closer to our home here on the Steamboat Peninsula?Read More

In September, Thoughts Turn to Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness Expo

Click for a larger view.

Tennyson wrote, “In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” It’s fall now and the thoughts of residents in the Pacific Northwest turn to winter preparedness. This year, in addition to checking the wood supply and tuning up the generator, why not spend a little time preparing for something more than just winter? On Saturday, September 26, Thurston County Emergency Management is hosting its annual Emergency Preparedness Expo. This is a great opportunity to meet with equipment vendors and local agencies who are planning not only for winter, but for something far more challenging.

Emergency Preparedness Expo
Saturday, September 26, 20155
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Yelm High School

Here on the Steamboat Peninsula, we’re used to preparing for a few days without electricity or a few days with limited access to nearby cities. In a disaster, though, we know we’ll need to be prepared for one, two, or three weeks on our own. The Emergency Preparedness Expo is a great one-stop solution to address planning and equipment needs.

Our own disaster preparedness web page provides a wealth of information to assist in preparing your own home for something more difficult than an emergency. Our web page goes a step further, too. Disaster preparedness requires a plan that includes working with some of your neighbors a block or two in any direction from your home. Our web page includes tips and links to other resources you can use to plan with your neighbors for “the big one.”

In February, 2001, a landslide took out a section of US-101 and residents had to travel through McCleary to get from Olympia to the Steamboat Peninsula. A big earthquake is not only likely to take out bridges on US-101 in both directions, it’s expected a good sized quake would cut off portions of this peninsula as Steamboat Island Road, itself, could be made impassable.

September is National Preparedness Month. Don’t be caught off-guard. The Emergency Preparedness Expo is a great way to start your planning.

“Haiti: Disaster & Hope” Lecture


Free Public Lecture. Olympia Center, Thursday September 16 at 7:30pm
Presented by the Olympia World Affairs Council

Doctor Tom Green, orthopedic surgeon at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, spent a month in Haiti following the earthquake. He and four colleagues from Virginia Mason Hospital set up a surgery center and operated on many of the Haitians who had suffered massive injuries in the quake.
His lecture “Haiti – Disaster and Hope” will describe the conditions at the time and provide an update on the current state of affairs as well.