Senior Curator of Geological Sciences Kathleen Springer will present a lecture, “Geology of Salton Trough,” at the San Bernardino County Museum on Sunday, October 26, at 2pm. This presentation is free to public with museum general admission.

 Located at the north end of the Gulf of California, the Salton Trough is an area that transitions from “pulling apart” extensional tectonics to the transform boundary between the North American and Pacific Plates. That master fault is the mighty San Andreas Fault, and forms the northeastern boundary of the trough.

 “Over the past few million years, the trough has filled with nearly 20,000 feet of sediment,” said Springer. “The southern section of the San Andreas Fault, from the Cajon Pass to the Salton Sea, has not seen a large magnitude earthquake since 1690, and is an area of great interest to earthquake scientists. This lecture will focus on the evolution of the San Andreas Fault in this region and discuss current studies of the fault in the southern section that attempt to model future large–magnitude earthquake potential.” 

The southern San Andreas Fault is the setting for the “Great Southern California ShakeOut”, the largest disaster preparedness drill in California history, which will take place on Thursday, November 13. In addition to the public lectures and field trips leading up to the “ShakeOut”, the San Bernardino County Museum will host events on that day. On Sunday, November 2, families with children ages 3 to 12 can join in the Family Fun Day “Earthquake” for age-appropriate activities at the museum.  For more information about the drill, go to www.ShakeOut.org.

Kathleen Springer is the Senior Curator of Geological Sciences for the San Bernardino County Museum.  She has an extensive background in both geology and paleontology and has been with the SBCM for nearly 19 years leading geologic and paleontologic investigations throughout southern California, Arizona, and Nevada.

 The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9am to 5pm. General admission is $6 (adult), $5 (student or senior), and $4 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org or call (909) 307-2669.

The San Bernardino County Museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is (909) 307-2669 ext. 229.