The San Andreas fault at Cajon Pass

The San Andreas fault at Cajon Pass; this view is from one of our USGS-Caltech SoSAFz sites that I upgraded to improve low-latency GPS performance for use in the prototype earthquake early warning system. The red arrows point to the trace of the fault where it passes up Lone Pine Canyon towards Wrightwood, California in the distance. Los Angeles is behind (south, or to the left of) the San Gabriel Mountains in this photo. Click the small image below to see the full-res annotated photo.

What happens when...?

Sometimes a question is asked that you have never heard before; it challenges you to think differently about how to explain something to the public or to a student in clear terms, without jargon. I love it when that happens; a recent result is this interesting 'Critical Opalescence' Scientific American blog article by George Musser -- @gmusser -- http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/critical-opalescence/2013/11/11/what-happens-to-google-maps-when-tectonic-plates-move/

San Andreas fault from Point Reyes to SFO, panorama from 10,500 meters showing the San Francisco Bay Area and other faults as well, such as the Hayward fault that runs through Berkeley. Photo taken on a flight from Beijing to Los Angeles on 20 January, 2013.

An article has been published on our new balloon LiDAR system - you can get the open access PDF file without a journal subscription (click for link).  [ http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/5/2/521/ ]