The talk is by Claudia Lewis and begins at noon. It is co-sponsored by the Los Alamos Women in Science.
Lewis' talk will offer some insight into the current activity of this still-active and nearby fault system. According to Lewis, the Earth's surface in Northern New Mexico ranges from simple, normal faulting to very complex zones of distributed faulting, to places where the geologic formation is inclined in the same direction. Pleistocene deposits dating back 1.22 million years ago provide exceptional information for studies of the Pajarito fault system.
"We now know in many cases what caused the faults, why some areas shifted while others did not, and what that might mean for possible future events in our active fault system," said Lewis of Los Alamos' Environmental Geology and Spatial Analysis Group.
Lewis received her master's degree from California State University and a doctoral degree from Harvard. While on a fellowship at Los Alamos, Lewis wrote her thesis about the Rio Grande rift. Her focus of research at the Laboratory involves studies about seismic hazards in the area, fracture systems and fluid flow, and various projects in Spain involving studies of volcanic rock.
Lewis did a Fulbright Fellowship in Spain and is the founding president of the board of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center in Los Alamos, which serves as a resource for the interpretation and stewardship of the natural history and environment of Los Alamos County and the Jemez Mountains area.
The Bradbury Science Museum is located at 15th Street and Central Avenue in downtown Los Alamos. Museum hours apart from special events are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday and Monday. The museum is closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days.
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For more information, contact Pat Berger at 665-0896.
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