USGS Open House 2009 -Exhibits

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Exhibits listed by location

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Kid Friendly	Exhibit Name	Location	Display Description
	Topo Salad Trays	Building 1, Room 1103	These are clear-plastic trays with a contour line drawn on each tray. Stack the trays on top of one another to see 3-D models of landforms and undersea features.
	Under San Francisco Bay	Building 1, Room 1110	View posters and a computer flythrough of topography beneath the waves of San Francisco Bay and just outside the Golden Gate. Inspect samples of sediment from the Bay. http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/c1259
	Fly Over the Seafloor	Building 1, Room 1127	Imagine that the water has been drained away to expose the floor of San Francisco Bay, the bed of Lake Tahoe, the seafloor off San Diego, and many more areas. Then enjoy virtual flights over the underwater terrain as revealed by USGS bathymetric data. http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/pacmaps/
	Microfossils, Volcanic Ash, and Tree Rings – Oh My!	Building 1, Room 1129	(1) Use microscopes and magnifiers to view microfossils, volcanic ash, tree-rings, and mudstones. (2) Handle equipment used to collect and analyze these samples. (3) Learn how scientists use microfossils, sediment, and rock samples to increase our understanding of climate change; the timing, magnitude and environmental impact of geologic events, such as volcanic eruptions; and the origin of mudstones/petroleum source rocks.
	Dress Like a Marine Geologist	Building 1, Room 1134	Put on the field attire of your choice--a life jacket, a hard hat, a survival suit, maybe an aloha shirt--and get photographed in front of a green screen. Choose a backdrop photo, and visit the Web later to see yourself as a marine scientist doing research at sea.
	Using Geophysics to Explore the Earth Below	Building 2 Courtyard	http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov
	USGS - NASA Geologic Robotic Surveying	Building 2 Courtyard
	Pinnacles National Park	Building 2 Courtyard	NPS staff will be present with WESP Team during the Open House
	3D Geologic Maps - Looking Down into the Earth	Building 2 Courtyard
	Antique Geophysical and Surveying Equipment	Building 2 Courtyard
	Circum-Arctic Resources: Energy and the Environment North of the Arctic Circle	Building 2 Courtyard	http://energy.usgs.gov/arctic
	Colorado River Basin: Stories from Old Western Gravels Bars	Building 2 Courtyard	Examine gravel from each of the major tributaries of the Colorado River. See rocks, fossils, fossil tracks, maps, and historic and modern 3D photography that tell the geologic story of the region.
	Creatures of the Arizona Desert Dust	Building 2 Courtyard	Infrequent desert rains cause sand-filled shallow potholes to suddenly spring to life. Examine living vernal pool invertebrates from the rim rock of the Southern Colorado Plateau.
	Erosion Studies in Hawaii	Building 2 Courtyard
	Erosion....Arrrh!	Building 2 Courtyard	Watch erosion slowly wipe out a den of plastic pirates on an island of pebbles, sand and silt (hands on exhibit).
	Faults in the Mojave Desert: Past, Present and Future	Building 2 Courtyard
	Geologic Map of Seattle	Building 2 Courtyard
	Geologic Map of the Grand Canyon Region	Building 2 Courtyard
	Geologic Record of the Colorado River Below the Grand Canyon - Some Possible Climate Connections	Building 2 Courtyard
	Geology of National Parks	Building 2 Courtyard	A limited supply of 3D posters and 3D glasses for Open House guests: 3D photographic exhibit. Quiz Website - http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov
	Geology of the North Cascades, Washington: Rocks for the Traveler	Building 2 Courtyard
	Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region	Building 2 Courtyard
	Geophysical Setting of the 2008 M6 Wells Earthquake, Northeast, Nevada	Building 2 Courtyard
	Hardness of Minerals	Building 2 Courtyard	Test the hardness of minerals (hands on activity)
	Mapping Earth History with an Airborne Laser Rangefinder: Deglaciation of the Puget Lowland	Building 2 Courtyard
	Segmentation of the Hayward Fault and Earthquake Hazards	Building 2 Courtyard
	The WESP Geologic Mapping Program	Building 2 Courtyard
	Understanding Desert Ecosystems	Building 2 Courtyard
	Vents in the City - The Volcanoes of Portland, OR	Building 2 Courtyard
	Western Washington Faults Leave Geophysical Scars	Building 2 Courtyard	New airborne measurements of the Earth's magnetic field highlight faults, folds, and other geologic structures in both the Puget Lowland and Eastern Washington. A tantalizing "anomaly" in these new measurements hints at a possible fault connection through the Cascade Range of Washington.
	GeoKids	Flagpole Circle	Souvenir sales (t-shirts, minerals, mugs and more!) and snacks. http://geokids.org
	Greening Efforts at GSA	Flagpole Circle	Staffed posters and handouts.
	USGS Green Team	Flagpole Circle	Staffed posters and information about recycling at the USGS.
	Menlo Park Fire Department	Flagpole Circle	Come and visit with the Menlo Park Fire Department and see the fire engines.
	Imaging the Ocean Floor	Building 3, Room 118	Sidescan-sonar "fish" used to collect sea-floor images. Computer will play back data collected during earlier field activities.
	Mid-Ocean Ridges	Building 3, Room 118	Imagine what it's like to descend to the deep sea in a submersible. View videos of deep-sea hot springs at mid-ocean spreading ridges. See samples of mineral sprecipitated from the hot water and weird animals that live around the springs.
	Science Resources for Teachers	Building 3, Room 118	California Science Standards and helpful handouts, paper models, etc.
	Wild Science: Explore the natural world through hands-on science with Coyote Point Museum.	Building 3, Room 118	Hands-on science activities (facilitated by museum staff). We’re planning on bringing a variety of different activities. http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org
	Reflection of the Past-Vision for the Future: Imaging and Remote Sensing for a Changing World	Building 3, Room 118	Hands-on digital remote sensing and GIS data manipulation, posters,video presentation, displays. http://asprs.org
	USGS Publications- Getting the Results of Our Research to the Public	Building 3, Room 118	A staffed display of USGS publications including books and maps. http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov
	Where is my Copper Deposit? An Underground Mine Tour	Building 3, Room 118	Examine the geology of a copper deposit in an underground mine and help determine where to dig next. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1034
	Map and Publication Sales - California Geological Survey and USGS	Building 3, Room 121	Purchase CGS and USGS publications and maps (including topographic maps, geologic maps, national park maps, earthquake maps, and much more!).
	National Land Cover Trends Project: A Perspective of Change Using Landsat Satellite Imagery	Building 3, Room 237	http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/
	Presentation Theatre	Building 3, Room 240	Come see presentations on Bay Area earthquake probability, tsunamis, sea otters, and much, much more!
	The Hayward Fault - Is it due for a repeat of the 1868 Earthquake?	Building 3, first floor, Visitors Center	http://earthquake.usgs.gov
	Visualization from Computer Simulations of Major Bay Area Earthquakes	Building 3, first floor, Visitors Center	See the distribution of shaking from past and anticipated future earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay Area.
	Deep Drilling to Study Earthquakes & Geothermal Energy	Building 3 - Outside	Wire line well logging truck to run instruments to 14,000 ft. Posters, photos, and laboratory samples demonstrate the type of work done in Parkfield, CA.
	Earthquake Fault Board Model and PC Seismograph	Building 3 - Outside	Demonstration that shows what happens when a fault slips.
	How GPS is used to study deformation of the Earth's crust near earthquake faults and volcanoes	Building 3 - Outside	Display of equipment used in the field, maps of where the measurements are made, a computer showing the online data and a demonstration of crustal strain buildup and release.
	Measuring the movement of the Earth's surface caused by Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Landslides using Radar from Orbiting Satellites	Building 3 - Outside	http://quake.wr.usgs.gov http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov
	Pipeline, Faults, and Quakes	Building 3 - Outside	Demonstration that shows how pipelines (lifelines) can be engineered to withstand a major fault rupture with meters of displacement.
	Real-Time Seismograph	Building 3 - Outside	http://earthquake.usgs.gov
	Digits and Printer's Ink- How USGS Science is Released	Building 3 - Outside	Staffed poster
	Gold Panning	Building 3 - Outside	Learn how to pan for gold and try your hand at panning at this "pan and release" exhibit.
	"Shocking" Views of Water Beneath our Feet	Building 3 - Outside	http://wwwrcamnl.wr.usgs.gov/uzf
	Mount Diablo Surveyors Historical Society	Building 3 - Outside	Hands-on staffed display of historical surveying and mapping instrumentation. http://mdshs.org
	Public Service Careers for Artists	Building 3 - Outside	Put your creative skills to work at the USGS.
	Natural Science Geopardy	Building 15 - Library	A unique opportunity for you to test your natural science knowledge. Play a game of Geopardy and learn science facts of Geography, Hydrology, Geology, and more. http://library.usgs.gov http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod
	Rocks of the San Francisco Bay Area	Building 15 - Library	This self-guided exhibit offers a fun quiz that you can use to test your knowledge of SF Bay Area geology.
	Our Fragile Earth: Climate Change	Building 15 - Library	Hands-on, poster, handouts, display of Library Publications and the movie "An Inconvenient Truth"
	How Clean is Clean?	Building 15 - first floor	Using a salinity meter, kids try to guess which water is which (ocean, bay, tap water, bottled water, high-purity lab water).
	You Are What You Eat	Building 15 - first floor	Staffed Poster
	Adventures in Geochemistry	Building 15 - first floor	Hands-on, posters.
	Invertebrate Animals Can Speak! If Only We'd Listen!	Building 15 - second floor	Hands-on http://wwwrcamnl.wr.usgs.gov/tracel/
	Toxic Metals and Groundwater	Building 15 - second floor
	40 Years of Water Quality Data in San Francisco Bay	Building 15 - second floor	Hands-on
	USGS Streamgaging Program	Building 15 - Outside	Hands-on - Come learn about the USGS Streamgaging Program
	National Water Quality Assessment Program and Groundwater Model	Building 15 - Outside	Hands on - water quality truck
	Do soils breathe? The role of soils and CO2 in a warming world.	Building 15 - Outside	Did you know that the microbes in soil breathe out CO2, just like people do? Come use some scientific equipment to measure how much CO2 can released by soils and see how plants take up some of that same CO2. Then learn more about the role of CO2 in regulating the global climate and see what makes the soils of Alaska so interesting to USGS scientists.
	Carbon Capture Wetland Farming: A win-win-win for water and greenhouse gas management in the San Francisco Bay-Delta	Building 15 - Outside	http://ca.water.usgs.gov/Carbon_Farm/
	Paleomagnetism Laboratory: Reading Geologic History from Rock Magnetism	Building 16
	The State's Geology, Resources, and Hazards	Earthquake Country Tent	California seismic hazard assessment and zoning products, as well as geologic maps, mineral resources and hazards maps.
	1989 and 1906: A Tale of Two Earthquakes	Earthquake Country Tent	Photo Comparison of effects of the 1989 and 1906 earthquakes showing how much more damaging the 1906 earthquake was.
	20 Years: M6.9, October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake	Earthquake Country Tent	Loma Prieta was not the Big One. Remembering Loma Prieta nearly 20 years ago.
	Earthquake Fossils - Paleoseismology on the San Andreas Fault	Earthquake Country Tent	Come see actual slices of the San Andreas Fault.
	Earthquake Program Website	Earthquake Country Tent	Learn more about the Earthquake Program and the online resources available. http://earthquake.usgs.gov
	How Close to a Fault do you Live?	Earthquake Country Tent	See how close you live to an earthquake fault.
	LIDAR: Illuminating Northern California's Active Faults	Earthquake Country Tent	Poster and computer showing LIDAR data and its use in studying active earthquake faults.
	Make Your Own Earthquake	Earthquake Country Tent	Display will show ground motion that visitors create in real-time.
	The Great 1906 Quake	Earthquake Country Tent	The USGS response to the earthquake. Photo gallery.
	Are you Ready for the Next Big Earthquake?	Earthquake Country Tent	Steps you can take when the next earthquake strikes.
	Bay Area Earthquake Alliance	Earthquake Country Tent	Share your Loma Prieta stories online. Join the Statewide Earthquake Drill on October 15, 2009.
	Earthquake Instruments	Earthquake Country Tent	Display of seismic monitoring instruments and real-time data waveforms from around the state of California.
	NetQuakes!	Earthquake Country Tent	Demonstration of a new earthquake instrument designed to go into homes and send data to the USGS over the internet.
	Virtual tour of Earthquakes & Faults in the Bay Area	Earthquake Country Tent	See where the earthquake happen and take a virtual tour of earthquake faults in the San Francisco Bay area.
	FEMA - Prepared, Responsive, Committed	Earthquake Country Tent	Learn more about preparedness and the role of FEMA Region IX.
	Gas and Electricity Safety	Earthquake Country Tent	Demonstration showing the importance of gas and electric safety at home.
	Red Cross	Earthquake Country Tent	http://www.bayarea-redcross.org/pba
	Home Disaster Preparedness Supplies	Earthquake Country Tent	Prepare your home, school, business, and institution for safety and security supplies. http://yoursafetyplace.com
	When Bad Things Happen to Good Equipment	Earthquake Country Tent	Samples and photos of earthquake monitoring equipment that have suffered from natural trauma in the field.
	The Big Shaker Trailer - Largest EQ Simulator	Outside near Earthquake Country Tent	First Steps to Earthquake Safety - See "The Big Earthquake Shaker" in Action! http://quakehold.com
	Live Music	Lawn area outside Building 1	Live music
	LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging)	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Use laser light bounced off surfaces to create a 3D image of a person or object.
	Submarine Landslides Can Cause Destructive Tsunamis	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Create a landslide (slide a weight down a ramp into a tub of water) that triggers a "tsunami," and watch the wave wash away structures on a "coastline" at the other end of the tub.
	Using Current Drifters to Track Coral Larvae in Hawai‘i	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Look at current drifters and their components; learn how they were used to track dispersal of coral larvae in Hawaiian waters; learn about other USGS research to better understand Hawai‘i’s coral reef ecosystems. http://coralreefs.wr.usgs.gov; http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5101; http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2003/08/
	Camera Sled—Video and Photographs to Groundtruth Seafloor Data	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	View large metal frame holding lights, batteries, and video and still cameras towed just above the seafloor. View seafloor video footage, multibeam echosounder data “groundtruthed” by the video, and resulting maps of seafloor types.
	Be a Field Assistant	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Use a topographic map to find your field site and a place to camp. Examine volcanologist field materials.
	Geology and Art	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Demonstration of art created from pictures of geologists in the field.
	Our Erupting Volcanoes (Kilauea and Redoubt)	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Learn about the recent eruptions of Kilauea in Hawaii and Redoubt in Alaska and how we monitor volcanoes. Touch Hawaiian rocks and view ash.
	Plate Tectonics Puzzle	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Piece the continents back together using fossil evidence.
	U.S. Supervolcanoes	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Learn about how we monitor and study Yellowstone and Long Valley Caldera. Example of how calderas form. What type of activity might we see in the future?
	Why do we care about the CO2?	Volcanoes, Coasts, and Oceans tent	Learn about volcanic gases and why it's important to monitor them. See a CO2 experiment.
	Sequoia—Bald Eagle from San Francisco Zoo	In (or near) the Volcanoes, Coasts and Oceans tent	View a live bald eagle, Sequoia, from the San Francisco Zoo (damaged tail prevents her from living in the wild). Exposure to pesticides such as DDT threatened bald eagles by causing them to lay eggs with very weak shells. After the U.S. restricted DDT use in 1972, bald eagles have made a steady recovery. NOAA, USGS, and other partners are working together to remediate DDT-contaminated sediment off southern California, and bald eagles have resumed nesting in the Channel Islands.
	Sea Otter Research	Outside (west of) Volcanoes, Coasts and Oceans tent	Hands-on materials (pelts, skulls, teeth, etc.) plus some sea otter research tools (radio transmitter and receiver/antenna, time-depth recorder, etc.). Display will highlight current research projects and methods, focusing on topical conservation issues, and will include a telemetry tracking game. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/otters/
	Ask a Geologist - Volcanic Rocks and Rocks of the Bay Area	Outside Volcanoes, Coasts and Oceans tent	Hands-on display of volcanic rocks and rocks from the Bay Area.
	Explore with the California Academy of Sciences	Outside Volcanoes, Coasts and Oceans tent	Join the California Academy of Sciences in exploring the world around us. Hands-on activities from the teacher classroom kits.
	Explore with The Tech Museum	Outside Volcanoes, Coasts and Oceans tent	Join The Tech in exploring science and engineering. Build a boat out of aluminum foil and see how many marbles it can carry. Make a model rocket. Only available on Saturday and Sunday.
	Jon Boat--Flat-Bottomed Boat Designed for Shallow-Water Mapping	NE of Volcanoes, Coasts and Oceans tent	Climb into the flat-bottomed Jon Boat and pretend you are a USGS scientist mapping the sea floor in very shallow water. Don’t forget to put on your life vest!

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