Patterns in Bay Area Earthquake History
Joanna Dyl
Pomona & Scripps College Environmental Analysis Program
- Date & Time
- Location
- Online-only seminar via Microsoft Teams
- Host
- Austin Elliott
- Summary
In this talk, Joanna L. Dyl, Ph.D., will discuss recurrent patterns across the history of major earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing on social impacts and effects on the built environment. Two key trends have been a consistent refusal to implement measures to reduce risk from future seismic activity and the unequal impact of earthquakes on marginalized social groups, which has been exacerbated during recovery and rebuilding. These patterns emphasize the importance of thinking of earthquakes not as discrete and unprecedented events but as integral components of local histories and local environments. Dyl will draw on her research from her book, Seismic City: An Environmental History of San Francisco’s 1906 Earthquake (University of Washington Press, 2017), as well as ongoing research for an article on disaster history and environmental risk in the Bay Area.
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