Earthquake Field Trip Announcement – Oct 12-13, 2019

The Southern Nevada Chapter of AEG is sponsoring a field trip to Searles Valley, California to examine the surface rupture and other effects of the July 6, 2019 magnitude 7.1 earthquake.  The field trip will be led by Professor Richard Koehler of the University of Nevada, Reno.

 Registration info:
The fee for this field trip is $20 for non-AEG members, $10 for AEG members, $10 for student non-AEG members, and free for student AEG members.  (AEG student membership is free.)  All participants must RSVP through our website, and pre-payment is appreciated.

Registration for the Field Trip can be found on the following link: https://www.aegsnv.org/rsvp

Details:
On Friday, October 11, Dr. Koehler will give a talk on the Searles Valley earthquake.  A separate meeting announcement will be sent out for the location of this (optional- if you choose to originate from Las Vegas to join this trip).

 The dates for the field trip are Saturday-Sunday, October 12-13, 2019.  Field trip participants will depart from Las Vegas Saturday morning and carpool to Searles Valley.  We will stay overnight in Ridgecrest Saturday night and return to Las Vegas Sunday afternoon.  We will designate a rendezvous point, probably in Trona, for participants traveling separately from Southern California or elsewhere.  Riders are expected to pay drivers for the full cost of fuel for the trip.

High clearance SUVs are preferred.

Room Block:
A block of rooms with two beds each has been reserved at the Quality Inn near the China Lake Naval Station, 507 S. China Lake Blvd., Ridgecrest, CA 93555.   The telephone number is (760) 375-9731.  The group name is Jerry L. King and the group number is OR59K7.  The rate is $85.48 per room.  FIELD TRIP PARTICIPANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THEIR OWN MOTEL RESERVATIONS.  So, decide whom you want to room with, and call and reserve your room.  Unbooked Quality Inn rooms will be released on September 20.  If so desired, there are other motels in Ridgecrest with lower room rates.  

Any questions can be directed to Nick Saines

Join us on Friday, October 21^st for a field trip to the Chabot Dam Seismic Upgrade Project in Oakland, California. Undertaken by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), this seismic improvement project consists of cement deep soil mixing, installation of a 35-foot-deep seepage collection system, and upgrades to the existing outlet structure at the dam. Join us for a half-day field trip starting at 9am on Friday, October 21^st.  Cost is $45 for members, $20 for students. Capacity is just 10 people, so sign up here post-haste!

Panoramic view from the right abutment of the new Calaveras Dam.

On Friday, June 3, 2016 a group of fourteen intrepid AEG members visited Calaveras Dam for presentations and a site tour. Our first AEGSF field trip in several years, it was deemed a grand success by all involved!

Bradley discusses NOA and shares great rock samples!

We met at the (rather expansive) field trailers just outside the dam site and, after a site environmental briefing, were treated to two excellent presentations. Glenn Gorski presented on the overall goals, challenges and changes to the project since it began in 2011, highlighting the impacts of previously unmapped landslides which were encountered during excavation.

Glenn Gorski presents to field trip participants.

Bradley Erskine presented on the Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) issues associated with construction, including containment measures, monitoring protocols, and laboratory testing of air samples. We also viewed a fantastic time lapse video of construction completed to date which you can view online here.

After the presentations, we piled into several project pickup trucks and viewed the site from the left and right abutments. We were able to see the entirety of the dam excavation, constructed spillway, and associated geologic exposures.

Entering NOA area!

Glenn and Bradley accompanied our group to both sites and continued to answer questions about construction methods, geologic mapping results, NOA monitoring and abatement efforts, and everything in between. We returned to the field trailers (but not without thorough vehicle and personnel decon!) and enjoyed a tasty lunch while getting to know each other better.  After lunch, a few hearty souls continued networking at Bosco’s restaurant and bar in nearby Sunol, CA before heading home.

Action shot! Bradley pointing out features of the site geology from the right abutment.

Action shot! Glenn explaining things in the field.

Our visit to Calaveras Dam was thoroughly educational and enjoyable! Many thanks to all who attended. AEGSF especially thanks Glenn Gorski and Bradley Erskine for their onsite education and assistance, Maria Le of SFPUC for coordinating on behalf of the Owner, Ryan Coe for helping run the field trip and obtaining our all-important lunches, and Courtney Johnson for helping keep track of our member registrations. Let’s do another field trip soon!

All images courtesy of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission / Photographer E. Morley Beckman.

Left abutment of new Calaveras Dam, as viewed from the right abutment.

Field trip participants gathered at the left abutment.

Monterey Bay Geological Society is hosting a field trip of BLM’s “Coast Dairies Property”, which will include visits to view sand injectites, historic mining locations, and coastal marine terraces.  A stop at Ano Nuevo park will also be included in this trip.

Saturday, July 25, 2015
9am – 5pm
Meet at Hwy 1 at Bonny Doon Road (map on MBGS website)

To register for this FREE trip, visit MBGS’s website and click on “Meetings” then “Schedule” then the “RSVP” link.  Bring your own lunch and transportation.