Living and Playing in the San Andreas Plate Boundary with Tanya Atwater

Living and Playing in the San Andreas Plate Boundary

Thursday, April 20th, 6:30pm
Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library
40 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara, CA

A little knowledge of the geology and plate tectonic history of Southern California can go a long way toward understanding and enjoying the quirks and wonders of our dramatic landscapes. Most of the rocks of California were formed during a long history of subduction, with lots of volcanoes and big earthquakes. During this time, coastal California accumulated a pile of flat sedimentary rock layers, made from the debris washing into the ocean from those volcanoes. Starting about 25 million years ago, the San Andreas plate boundary began to break into the continental edge, shifting and rearranging chunks of the crust and their frostings of sedimentary layers: pulling open basins, smashing together mountains, and twirling some of the pieces in a giant, slow-motion bumper-car ride. And the ride continues under our feet!

In this talk, Tanya Atwater will use maps, photos, animations, and a hands-on model to demonstrate and clarify this history and its topographic legacy.

Dr. Atwater is an Emeritus Professor at U.C.S.B; and received her education at M.I.T., U.C. Berkeley, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, completing her PhD in 1972. Her research has concerned many aspects of tectonics, ranging from the fine details of sea floor spreading to global implications of plate tectonics. Her work included numerous oceanographic expeditions, including twelve dives to the deep sea floor in the tiny submersible Alvin. She is especially well known for her research on the plate tectonic history of western North America and the San Andreas fault. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including election to the U. S. National Academy of Sciences and the Penrose and Wollaston medals from the Geological Societies of America and of London (their most prestigious awards).

This free presentation is part of the Trail Talks series hosted by the Santa Barbara Public Library.