Comments for Adventures in Geology

Comment on Geology in Your Life by Lorrie

Lorrie — Tue, 28 May 2013 20:40:59 +0000

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Comment on 101 American Geo-sites by Greg

Greg — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:01:57 +0000

Any idea why “The Wave” in Arizona wasn’t included here?

Comment on Great Falls: Great Geology by Zachery

Zachery — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:33:37 +0000

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Comment on Sinkholes – Where and Why They Form by Scoop.it | Amy Valdez | Learning about Geology | Sinkholes – Where and Why They Form | Adventures in Geology

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:08:12 +0000

[...] In the wake of the sinkhole that developed beneath a Florida man's bedroom, tragically killing the man as he was "sucked" into the earth, many people are searching for information. While I am unable to tell you all the details … [...]

Comment on Sinkholes – Where and Why They Form by Scoop.it | Catherine Russell | Geology | Sinkholes – Where and Why They Form | Adventures in Geology

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:09:00 +0000

Comment on Uneven Lanes by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:26:55 +0000

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Comment on Spread the Joy of Geoscience to the Classroom! by Omega User

Omega User — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:54:47 +0000

Hi I just found your great blog here. My name is also Nate and I am majoring in geology! I started a blog as well talking about my experiences going back to college. I have been through a lot and really need to focus on updating my site. Thanks for the inspiration and I look forward to reading through your posts. http://earthingrocks.wordpress.com/

Comment on Spread the Joy of Geoscience to the Classroom! by Help a Classroom in Need! | Adventures in Geology

Help a Classroom in Need! | Adventures in Geology — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:28:39 +0000

[...] fund still need a combined $1,128 in order to purchase their much-needed classroom materials. I wrote about this charity event at the beginning of the month when the challenge started, and explained some of the reasons [...]

Comment on L’Aquila Earthquake: Trial, Verdict and Response by Round Up Ready – Earthquake Edition | On a Quasi-Related Note

Round Up Ready – Earthquake Edition | On a Quasi-Related Note — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:17:56 +0000

[...] L’Aquila Earthquake: Trial, Verdict and Response (adventuresingeology.com) [...]

Comment on L’Aquila Earthquake: Trial, Verdict and Response by Nate

Nate — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:44:34 +0000

Hi Rlal. I completely agree with you that there has been much misunderstanding in this case. As this post was intended more as a link roundup than a blow by blow of what happened throughout the trial, I intentionally left out the details in favor of letting those that I linked to fill in that information. Austin Elliot did a very good job of this, explaining that the “media event” was in response to existing, unscientific claims that a major earthquake was coming and because the public was beginning to panic. He goes on to show how the scientists stated (multiple times) that there is no sure way of knowing and that these tremors may or may not mean anything. No definitive answer was given, though some hypothesizing was done, like the specific comment you cited about the small shakes relieving stress and making a major quake more improbable. There is no scientific evidence to support this, but they never claimed this as fact, just a possibility. What they did do was say there was no way of knowing and that there is no evidence to suggest a large quake is likely to happen, and therefore there is no reason to panic. Chris Rowan, Erik Klemetti, and Steve Drury all have great posts on this, too (above).
HOWEVER, that last part is what got them in this mess (if you exclude the fear mongering that led to the meeting in the first place). They left it at “Don’t Panic!” and, despite stating multiple times in multiple ways that they can’t tell one way or the other, they didn’t reinforce the fact that a major quake could still occur. Subsequently, people listened to more optimistic portion.
I doubt you’d find anyone who would disagree with the fact that this could have been handled better. In fact, I very much agree with you that more and more, scientists are beginning to speak directly to the public, and in doing so must recognize the responsibility they have as an authoritative figure, as well as the outcomes their words will have on the public.
The problem in this case was finding that balance between alerting the public of the possibility of a large quake (a possibility that is always present in this region) or sending them into a panic at the thought that one may soon occur. I don’t feel that their erring on the side of “go have a nice glass of wine” deserves a prison sentence when there was no evidence to suggest they should act otherwise. They may be deserving of some form of punishment, I won’t argue that. But not prison and certainly not for manslaughter.