ShakeOut - a simulated Big One on the San Andreas fault

I have worked with colleagues to create a scientifically realistic great San Andreas fault earthquake, that is, a Big One. It has been a major effort, funded by the USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project, to develop a detailed scenario including physical impacts and damages from the surface faulting and shaking caused by the earthquake. On November 13, 2008 quite likely the largest earthquake response exercise ever conducted in the USA will take place based on the ShakeOut earthquake scenario, as we call it. The idea of this is to achieve several things, including raising public awareness of earthquake hazards. Most importantly, I think, is that we will engage people in thinking about vulnerabilities we face as a society. Some of these vulnerabilities are relatively obvious, and yet would cost a lot to retrofit ahead of time. By discussing such issues with responsible organizations, we hope to motivate an even higher level of effort in capital investment in critical infrastructure. We hope to make southern California overall far more resilient, so that a future great earthquake need not be a catastrophe.