UW News

April 9, 1999

Seismologists to mark 50th anniversary of 1949 earthquake

News and Information

* WHO: Scientists from the University of Washington, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

* WHAT: Discussion of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck on April 13, 1949, near Olympia, the most power earthquake in the Pacific Northwest this century.

* WHEN: Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.

* WHERE: Johnson Hall room 64 and Atmospheric Sciences-Geophysics room 146 (the seismology laboratory) on the UW campus.

Tim Walsh, a state DNR geologist, will provide an overview of the effects of the 1949 Olympia earthquake. Stephen Kirby, a USGS senior research geophysicist, then will discuss what can be learned about subduction zone earthquakes from the 1949 event. Following their presentations, Kirby, Walsh and UW seismologists will be available for interviews in the seismology lab.

###

For more information, contact Bill Steele at the seismology lab, (206) 685-8180 or bill@geophys.washington.edu