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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

DAS Bump! My summary of this morning’s session: “Forecasting Earthquakes with Continuous Data: From Lab to Field”. Sounds like a SCEC German punk band. #scecmeet

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Tom Rockwell (Distinguished Lecture) kicking off the 2025 SCEC meeting! Small offset per event (smaller magnitude) produces narrower damage zone in nearby rocks. Serves as a proxy for max magnitude per rupture event. #scecmeet #scec2025 🧪

$Tom Rockwell standing on the stage in front of 4 chairs. On the left is a large projection screen showing one of his slides that includes a photomicrograph of fractured mineral grains.$ A slide from Tom’s talk showing an annotated aerial view of the San Andreas Fault near Little Rock and a photomicrograph on the right showing pulverized mineral grains from a sample collected several meters from the main fault plane.

A slide from Tom’s talk showing an annotated aerial view of the San Andreas Fault near Little Rock and a photomicrograph on the right showing pulverized mineral grains from a sample collected several meters from the main fault plane.

Summary slide of Tom’s talk labeled: General Summary of Physical Damage. Includes three categories: small displacement (less than 1 meter), moderate (1.5 to 2.7 meter), and large displacement (3 to 6 meters).

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Opening presentation of this year’s SCEC annual meeting in Palm Springs! It seems SCEC is a “large Enterprise” working to develop & share cutting-edge earthquake system science to enhance California’s resilience & to educate and inspire future scientists. #scecmeet #SCEC2025 🧪

Digital image off the USS Enterprise from the Star Trek franchise. Small pictures of the science researchers are in little circles around the edge. The bottom of the slide says: “To boldly go where no SCEC has gone before.”

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Well, given that he's not running for governor again becuase he reached his term limit....

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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

“NSF watchers fear that a smaller, restructured agency could be more vulnerable to pressure from the White House to fund research that suits its ideological bent.” www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund

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Celeste Labedz @celestelabedz.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

I'm guessing there was a real reason that the new pope served as the bishop of Chiclayo, but I'm going to pretend that whoever was doing the bishop assignments misheard it as Chicago and was like "great we can just promote one of our Chicago guys".

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

It’s me! I’m “one scientist”! 🧪

Screen shot of an online article from the Los Angeles Times about this week’s magnitude 5.2 earthquake and the early warning notifications. The text says, “Geologists at the California Geological Survey’s office in Los Angeles also received early warning notifications on their phones ‘so we were prepared for some shaking,’ one scientist posted on social media.”

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Us geologists here at the @cageosurvey.bsky.social LA office all got our early warning notifications on our phones so we were prepared for some shaking. Did you get one too? Download @myshakeapp.bsky.social to be ready next time. #earthquake

Screenshot of MyShake notifications for a magnitude 5.8 earthquake (later revised to 5.2) in San Diego County. The alert reads: “Earthquake - Drop, cover, hold on. Mag 5.8 EQ in San Diego Country Estates, CA 92065, USA on 4-14-2025 at 10:08am PDT”.

A second alert under the first says: “Earthquake Alert
Earthquake Detected! Drop, Cover, Hold On. Protect yourself. - USGSShakeAlert.”

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Felt the long-period shaking here in downtown LA from the M5.2 earthquake near Julian, CA (San Diego County). Epicenter is near the Elsinore Fault, which would be the primary suspect, but we'll see once more data comes in. #earthquake #Julian 🧪 @cageosurvey.bsky.social

This ShakeMap shows the ground shaking intensity from a magnitude 5.2 earthquake that occurred on April 14, 2025. The epicenter is marked with a black star and located just south of Julian, California, in San Diego County.
The shaking intensity is represented using the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, with colors ranging from green (light shaking) near the epicenter to blue (weak shaking) farther out. The strongest shaking (MMI V to VI) was felt in the mountains and foothill regions northeast of San Diego, including areas near Mira Mesa and Encinitas.

Seismic instrument locations are shown as triangles, and community-reported intensities are marked with small circles. Cities across Southern California and northern Baja California, including San Diego, Oceanside, Riverside, and Tijuana, experienced weak to light shaking. The scale at the bottom links MMI levels to estimated damage and ground motion levels, helping to interpret the impact across the region.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

You’ll forgive my concerns over a possible upcoming recession. I lost my job and almost lost my house in the last one.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

So encouraged by everyone we saw at the Hands Off rally yesterday in Santa Ana (Orange County)! #HandsOff Rise Up. Wise Up. Eyes Up.

A crowd of protesters at a rally. One of them is holding up a black sign with an outline of the United States with the words “Rise Up!” written inside.

A group of protestors on the sidewalk. One is holding a cardboard sign that reads “It’s so bad, introverts are here! Hands off our Constitution.”

A woman sitting on the curb with a white sign that reads “Thisis just not OK!”

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Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

What do the Republicans and the oligarchs fear most? Solidarity between poor rural whites and Black urban folks. They have always feared it. It’s time to come together, friends. Our futures are bound up together.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Heading out to our local Orange County Hands Off rally shortly. #handsoff

Two t-shirts, a blue one reading “ano more Kings” with a cartoon drawing of King George III sitting on a stool with bags of money from Schoolhouse Rock. The second is a white shirt with multicolored balloons on top the word “No”.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Anyone have any insight into why this M3.1 in the Sacramento delta is SO deep? 🧪

Map of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento River delta and surrounding areas. A white circle is shown north of the city of Antioch representing the epicenter of a magnitude 3.1 earthquake. A white box with details about the quake is shown in the lower left corner. It states this earthquake was 13 kilometers west of Rio Vista, CA occurring at 8:37am on April 4. The hypocenter is listed at 24.6 kilometers and is highlighted in yellow for emphasis.

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Dr. Wendy Bohon @drwendyrocks.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Folks attending the @geosociety.bsky.social Cordilleran conference - roll out of bed early, grab a ☕️ and head over to the Granada Room to catch my 8:00 am talk! Then stick around to learn about liquefaction hazards in Sacramento from @brianolson.bsky.social at 9:10. 😎

Screenshot of the talk title, which says “earthquake science and public service: working to keep earthquake hazards from becoming earthquake disasters“. Friday, April 4, 2025 8 AM to 8:30 AM in the Granada Hermosa.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

If you're at the GSA Cordilleran Section meeting in Sacramento tomorrow, stop by the "Earthquake Hazards in Applied Geology" session tomorrow morning and catch me and Wendy Bohon in action as we represent the California Geological Survey! 🧪 @drwendyrocks.bsky.social @cageosurvey.bsky.social

Screen shot of the Friday morning schedule of speakers with orange boxes highlighting a talk by Wendy Bohon entitled "Earthquake Science in Public Service: Working to Keep Earthquake Hazards from becoming Earthquake Disasters" at 8:00am and a talk by Brian Olson entitled " Liquefaction Hazard Zone Mapping in the Greater Sacramento Area, Sacramento and Yolo Counties, northern California" at 9:10am.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Help me... I'm reviewing a technical document and need to know... is it "0.5 inch" or "0.5 inches"? 🧪 Can't find any style guides or clear rules.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Jeremy Lancaster (California State Geologist) giving the lunchtime lecture at GSA on post-wildfire flooding & debris flow hazards. Highly developed alluvial fans are most prone. Studies find a minimum flow depth of 5 feet equaled total destruction of structures. @cageosurvey.bsky.social

California state geologist Jeremy Lancaster stands behind a podium speaking into the microphone giving a presentation.

Title slide of Jeremy Lancaster’s talk reading “Post-Fire geohazard management in California’s warming climate”.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

The USGS posted their aftershock forecast and they are saying there's a 40% chance of another M6+ earthquake in the next week. Certainly, there will be dozens to hundreds of smaller M4s and M5s. If you are in Bangkok, I doubt you'll feel quakes less than M6 though. Scary no matter what though.

USGS "Aftershock Forecast" graph for the recent magnitude 7.7 earthquake near Mandalay in Myanmar (Burma). According to the graph, in the next week, there is a 6 percent chance of another M7+ earthquake, 40% chance of a magnitude 6+ quake, and 97 percent chance of a magnitdue 5+ quake.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

That's one way to start your weekend! A M4.6 earthquake shook the Bombay Beach/Salton Sea area this morning, just before 10:30am local time. This part of California has been rumbling with small M1-2 quakes since March 1. This could be the main shock of that sequence. #earthquake 🧪

Map of southern California and part of western Arizona showing geographic features, city names, major freeways, and dark gray lines representing known surface faults. Two orange circles represent recent earthquake epicenter locations. The northerly one is the magntiude 4.6 earthquake from this morning. It plots within the southern end of the Salton Sea in Imperial County.

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California Geological Survey @cageosurvey.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Would you like to learn about earthquakes and tsunamis in Northern California? 🧪⚒️ Register for an “Evening Discussion of Local Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards.” This hybrid event will be held on March 12 from 5:30-7 PM. Visit now.humboldt.edu/news/lessons... for more information.

now.humboldt.edu

Lessons from December’s Earthquake and Tsunami Warning

On Dec. 5, 2024, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Humboldt County, shaking communities and triggering a tsunami warning along Northern and Central California’s coastline. Now local e...

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

WE DON’T GAIN MORE SUNLIGHT WITH DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME! WE JUST SHIFT THE HOURS OF THE DAY WITH WHEN THE SUN IS UP!

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Excellent 1-day workshop in Newport, OR discussing ground failures from past Cascadia earthquakes and planning for future ones.

Vertical banner in an interior hallway. It reads: “CRESCENT Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center, Innovative Science for a Resilient Society”

Exterior view of a vertical tsunami evacuation structure at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. A metal sign on a wooden post reads “Tsunami Evacuation Route” and points towards a concrete ramp that leads to the top of a 3-story building.

View of a marina with scattered boats and a steel arch bridge in the distance at sunset.

Elevator button panel with a button labeled “Seismic” and one with a “Tsunami Evacuation Route” sticker next to it.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

"[NOAA is] a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity." - Project 2025, Chapter 21 It's not about reducing bloat/waste... it's about eliminating an ideology...

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

I mean, as a state government employee, I literally do this EVERY. WEEK. It’s called a “Weekly Report”. (However, failure to respond is NOT taken as my desire to resign.)

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Quite the shimmy-shaking going on in central California, east of Salinas. This location is near where the San Andreas Fault transitions from the "locked" northern section to the middle "creeping" section. 19 earthquakes since 9pm-ish last night w/ a M3.9 being the largest. #earthquake 🧪

Map of central California, showing major cities including Salinas, San Jose, and Fresno. Dark gray lines represent know surface faults capable of generating earthquakes. Red circels represent epicenters of earthquakes that occurred within the last hour, orange circles are epicenters of quakes that happened within the last 24 hours.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

It’s the ketamine not talking?

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

LOVE “The Californians” ad for VW!! Although, unless they are coming San Diego/southern Orange County or Santa Clarita, they’re not taking the 5 to the 405 to the 10 to get to Malibu.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

[3 minutes into watching EVERY “Dateline] Me: “The husband did it.”

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Earlier this week, the San Andreas Fault popped off a few M3 quakes. Today the Hayward Fault is trying to get some attention with M3.2 and M3.4 earthquakes. Can we just NOT? #earthquake 🧪

Shaded relief map of the San Francisco Bay Area and regions with dark gray lines representing mapped surface faults. Two closely spaced red circles depict the epicenters of today's earthquakes and they plot very close to the mapped trace of the Hayward Fault. A table on the left lists magnitude 3.2, magnitude 3.4, and magnitude 2.7 quakes have occurred in this area since 5:00am this morning local time.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Couple minor quakes (M3.5 and M3.0) just now near/on the San Andreas Fault, north of San Bernardino, CA. Let's all be cool and not get too rumbly, m'kay? 🧪 #earthquake

Shaded relief map of southern California showing active surface faults with dark gray lines, freeways with thick pale red lines, and labeled cities. A red circle near the city of Highland marks the epicenter of the magnitude 3.5 earthquake.

Text summary of the Caltech/USGS Southern California Seismic Network algorithm for the magnitude 3.5 earthquake. The analysis gives a 43 percent chance this earthquake was on the San Andreas Fault. Alternatively, the summary states there is a 55 percent chance it was on another fault in the Community Fault Model (CFM) and a 2 percent chance it was on a fault not in the CFM.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Whoa! M7.6 earthquake in the Caribbean Sea, between Cuba and Belize. Tsunami threat to coasts and island within ~600 miles of the epicenter. #earthquake 🧪

Map of the western Caribbean Sea showing the Cuba, Belize, the state Florida and other areas. A large white dot represents the epicenter location and text below it states it was a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that was 209 kilometers from George Town, Cayman Islands.

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Molly Ploofkins @mollyploofkins.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

“Very well educated.” Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan complains migrants are too “educated” about their rights.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Morning shake up down in northern Baja/southern California from a M4.2 earthquake. Epicenter is a little NW of the 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake epicenter. Did you feel it? Fill out this anonymous survey about your experience. 🧪https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41034376/tellus

Shaded relief map of the border area between northern Baja California and southern California with roads, bodies of water, and surface faults shown. A red circle notes the epicenter of a magnitude 4.2 earthquake that happened at 10:08am local time, south of Mexicali, Mexico.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

It's quiet...a little TOO quiet.

USGS earthquake map of the entire continental US showing not one single M2.5 or larger earthquake in the US over the last 24 hours, which is unusual.

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Ryan Godfrey @ryangodfrey.com · 21/01/2025

Die Zeit won't even show the salute.

Zeit Online showing a black and white picture of Elon Musk giving the salute, with blue painter's tape covering his arm. The headline is "Ein Hitlergruß ist ein Hitlergruß ist ein Hitlergruß" (A Hitler salute is a Hitler salute is a Hitler salute).

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” — 14th Amendment, Section 1

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

SoCal just lost 7,000+ homes to wildfires, but once the fires are out, hazards aren’t over. 7 yrs ago I went to Montecito, CA to collect scientific data on the deadly post-wildfire debris flows that killed 25 & wrecked 100+ homes. As a rule of thumb, debris flows are more likely <5 yrs after fire.🧪

Photograph of a living room filled with about 2 feet of mud, tree branches, and debris from the 2018 Montecito debris flows. Muddy water stains the walls around the room about 4 feet high, up to the fireplace mantle. The fourth wall is missing, blown out by the force of the debris flow, allowing for the photograph of the whole room.

Photograph of a brick chimney and fireplace standing alone after the 2018 Montecito debris flows destroyed the rest of the house and carried it away. Soft, wet mud covers the ground in all directions.

Photograph of mud and debris covering part of a manicured golf course fairway with sand bunkers and dense trees in the distance. Other than the chaotic debris flow deposit, the golf course is pristine.

Photograph of an open house window looking inside to a room that is full of mud, broken wooden beams, and tree limbs. The debris partially blocks the view so that you cannot see most of the interior room. Mud has left splatter marks on the outside walls and window indicative of high velocity mud flows.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

My favorite nights are when Jeopardy! has a “Geology” category!! (My second favorite is “The Bible.) Here are tonight’s clues for all my geo folks! 1/2

Jeopardy clue reading “Hydrothermal and fissure are types of these openings through which gases heated by magma pass.”

Jeopardy clue reading “Dip-slip, strike-slip, and thrust are types of these divisions.”

Jeopardy clue reading “Many rocks are named for places: Elbaite (island), Flagstaffite (city), this common volcanic rock (South American mountain chain).”

Jeopardy clue reading, “This common fossil-rich sedimentary rock is formed mostly from oceanic ooze.”

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

The Getty Museum is within the newly announced mandatory evacuation area for the #PalisadesFire.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Not now, San Andreas!! WE'RE BUSY!

Map of the San Francisco Bay area showing regional active faults (black lines) and recent earthquake epicenters (red circles). There is a red circle over the line representing the San Andreas Fault, just west of the bay entrance (the Golden Gate). A table on the left lists two earthquakes, a magnitude 3.7, followed by a magnitude 2.5.

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Singing "Imagine"?? ... at an Evangelical Christian's funeral?? WHY? How? WHAT?!

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Any forestry or ecology folks on here? Is clearing every natural hillside and mountain slope of dead and down trees/debris an actual, plausible mitigation strategy for wildfire prevention?

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Current status in southern California. I'm not near any active fires at the moment (blue circle), but we're monitoring it all. FIVE fires currently active: #PalisadesFire #HurstFire #EatonFire #SunsetFire #LidiaFire

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Brian Olson @brianolson.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

This is not a president. This is an asshole.

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