Dr. Wendy Bohon

Map of the area around Louisiana,showing the location of the earthquake marked with a star. Concentric circles of different colors show the distribution of earthquake shaking from the earthquake.

M 4.0 earthquake 8 km WNW of Edgefield, Louisiana

Did you feel it? Report it!

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Great! No issues

I told my kids that other people would be interested. They have doubts. 😂

We would have been besties for sure!

If only I had known this 6 hours ago….

You’re gonna show us the results, right?

I did not. But we did the Cajon Pass, tried to do Lone Pine Canyon (closed due to debris flows), Palette Creek, the Palmdale road cut (twice), Ridgecrest, Fossil Falls and the Alabama Hills. That was when R dropped a prickly pear in his lap and things changed for the worse.

The flowers are blooming and it’s fabulous!

What?!?! I did not know this was a thing. This is a wonderful thing!!!

A waterfall made of basaltic rocks

Two little boys climb up weathered granite

A car in the foreground with rounded rock low hills in the mid ground and the Sierra Nevada mountains capped by snow in the background

Two small boys climb on smooth basaltic outcrops

San Diego to Sacramento via Owen’s Valley.

I’m exhausted and my kids are very tired of hearing about geology.

Probably

Remember, if you feel earthquake shaking drop down to the ground, take cover underneath a sturdy object like a table and hold on until all the shaking has stopped.

Anyway, lots of people felt this, which is expected for a quake this size in this part of the world.

Did you feel it? Report it!

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Screenshot of the iris, interactive, earthquake browser, showing the border between West Louisiana and East Texas. The purple dots are earthquakes. It’s difficult to see, but the size of the dot indicates the magnitude of the earthquake.

I’m at the airport but I’ll do a deeper dive when I get where I’m going.

Bottom line - there’s been seismicity in this area for a while. Lots of quakes in 2024 including some M3+ quakes. None as big as the M4.9, of course.

Potentially.

This paper seems like it could relevant. www.researchgate.net/profile/Jaco...

Map showing the location of the earthquake marked by a star. The colors show levels of shaking

Not sure how I missed this when it happened!

M 4.9 earthquake in Red River Parish, Louisiana

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Say hi to Matt for me!

Have you listened to our latest episode (75: Earthquake Geology) yet? In this clip, @drwendyrocks.bsky.social talks about some of the planetary perils of Vader's Castle on Mustafar. Listen in on youtu.be/N6aRSgwfCuc or on your fave podcast platform. #starwars #science #geology #scicomm #mustafar

Could people please stop answering emails so quickly?

The ball is in your court now. Hold it there for a while before making it my problem again!

Not super common but they do happen.

Remember, if you feel earthquake shaking, drop down to the ground, take cover underneath a sturdy object like a table, and hold on until all the shaking has stopped.

Map showing population centers and the location of the earthquakes. At the bottom is a list showing population that has been exposed to different levels of earthquake shaking.

This map from USGS PAGER shows population density in the area, as well as the number of people exposed to different levels of shaking.

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Map showing the location of the earthquake marked with a star as well as colors indicating the level of shaking in different areas. The earthquake occurred on the border of Nebraska.

M 4.1 earthquake 5 km E of Cowles, Nebraska

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Beth and I (and Jeremy on a different day) were also fortunate to be able to meet with the fantastic folks from the Global Volcanism Program. Such a pleasure to reconnect with these outstanding friends and colleagues!

While I was in DC this past week I was able to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and get a little time behind the scenes to ogle the gorgeous specimens.

Only in town for 2 days. Heading out!

A red and gold sky with the sunrise highlighting the underside of the clouds with red and pink. A plane sits in the foreground.

Very fancy sunrise Richmond. I approve.

These visits facilitate direct communication around topics like geologic mapping, natural hazards, and mineral resources as well as strengthen ties between state geological surveys and federal decision-makers.

I spent the last week in Washington DC with the Association of American State Geologists (AASG). AASG visits Washington, D.C., each year to conduct “Liaison” meetings with federal agencies, congressional staff, and partners to discuss state-level geological interests, issues, and opportunities.