With the 1906 earthquake centennial behind us, there is still much to see and learn about earthquakes. Here is a list of informative and entertaining activities in the Bay Area. We encourage you to visit the Oakland Museum to learn more about earthquakes and about how you can prepare for the next big one. Please drop us a line and let us know about events we haven't listed.
There is a 62% probability that at least one earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or greater will occur on a known or unknown San Francisco Bay region fault before 2032. There's nothing we can do to prevent earthquakes, but there are things we can do to prevent or reduce the harm they cause. Preparedness is the key to eliminating a great deal of damage and injury. Here are seven steps you can take before, during, and after earthquakes that will help make you and your family safer and reduce your injuries, damage, and losses.
Ongoing -- British artist Andy Goldsworthy has created a site specific artwork in the entry court at the new de Young Museum. Entitled "Faultline," it is continuous crack in the stone pavers running north from the edge of the Music Concourse roadway in front of the museum, up the main walkway, into the exterior courtyard, and up to the main entrance door. Along its path, this crack will bisect several large stones that will serve as seating for museum visitors. Goldsworthy's work is inspired by the unique character of California's tectonic topography, as well as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that rendered the old de Young unsafe. The new de Young building has been constructed with the latest in seismic technology to withstand intense earthquakes. Click here for more information.
An exhibition of photographs of San Francisco and Northern California taken by Jack London in the days and weeks immediately after the earthquake, accompanied by his writings and descriptions published in 1906. For information about events and lectures planned during exhibition, visit www.californiahistoricalsociety.org.
The Exploratorium's Magnitude X: Quake Science and Survival series covers the science, structural engineering and human dimensions of earthquakes. The Exploratorium will provide a range of opportunities to pose all your pent-up questions to a seriesof experts. Visit the Exploratorium's new web site dedicated to quake science and engineering, at http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline.
After the Ruins, 1906 and 2006: rephotgraphing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Exhibition. Over the past two years, Arizona-based photographer Mark Klett has assembled 1906 photographs from the Legion of Honor's Genthe archive, the Bancroft Library, and various web-based archives, resulting in the identification of 85 geographical sites. His fieldwork in recreating the historic shots covered the entire city of San Francisco, from Union Square to the Presidio, South of Market to the Marina Greem and Mission Dolores to Cow Hollow. This exhibition features over 50 of Klett's paired photographs depicting the city then and now, each showing that the two spaces and times are related. For more information, visit www.thinker.org.
1906 Earthquake and the Army Exhibition. IN the days following the earthquake, the newly homeless needed food and shelter. The US Army troops stationed at posts now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area responded within hours. They helped city authorities to maintain order and fight fires. They also established communications, gave medical treatment and provided food, shelter and sanitation. This exhibit tells a story of heroism and valor, order and organization, as well as conflict and controversy. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/prsf/history/1906eq/
The San Francisco Water System: Destruction and Renewal. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) presents an exhibition of original, sometimes on-of-a-kind archival photographs portraying the destruction of a city and its water system, the ready and round-the-clock responses of plumbers and other city workers, and the genesis of a new water system designed to provide reliable water and the guarantee that the City of San Francisco would never burn again. The exhibition will consist of approximately 30 framed prints plus enlarged images on banners. For more information, visit www.sfwater.org.
William A. Coulter, A Master's Brush with the sea. About 100 paintings and sketches illustrating the best samples from each period and style of Coulter's works will br featured. Coulter documented the development of maritime commerce in the Pacific, of the west coast and especially of the bay area from 1869-1936. his work is especially significant because it provides a visual time portal to the post-Gold-Rush-era of the Barbary Coast, the dramatic changes brought about by the city's rebuilding after the 1906 fire and the shift in maritime trade from sail to steam. The exhibition will be mounted in the heart of Coulter's waterfront, the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park's Visitor Center at 499 Jefferson St. (corner of Hyde) across from Hyde St. pier at Fisherman's Wharf. For more information, visit www.kahnfoundation.org.
