2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake and Tsunami: Remembering the Victims, Learning from the Past

March 11, 2021: The California Geological Survey issues new Tsunami Hazard Area Maps for Del Norte and Mendocino counties By Rick Wilson, California Geological Survey (CGS) Many of my tsunami and non-tsunami colleagues can remember what they were doing on March 11, 2011, the day the magnitude 9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake struck offshore of Japan, unleashing…

Q&A with California Geological Survey Librarian Amy Loseth for #LibraryShelfieDay

Most folks don’t know that the Department of Conservation is home to the California Geological Survey library–full of geologic resources, maps, and even rare books dating back to the 1600s! The library, located at 801 K Street, in Downtown Sacramento (across from the Sacramento Public Library) is usually open to the public. With COVID-19 restrictions…

Department of Conservation Announces New Grants for Watershed Health

Department of Conservation’s Division of Land Resource Protection (DLRP) awarded $2 million in grants for watershed restoration and agricultural land conservation projects. Each grant went to local Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) in Marin, Sonoma, Kings, and Ventura counties.  “These grants not only support important local projects, but also advance some of Governor Newsom’s key objectives: conserving working…

Earth Science Week Day 3 — Fossil Day

It’s Earth Science Week (October 12-16) Continuing on our theme of Earth Science Week, today we are talking about the California State Fossil! Wednesday: October 14: FOSSIL DAY Did you know that California’s official state fossil is the Sabertoothed Cat? How cool is that?! We’ve created some fun facts to help you get to know…

CGS Geologists Assess Multiple Fire Burn Areas for Landslide Potential: 10-1-20 Update

Wildfires are a disaster that can spawn yet another disaster. Fire eliminates ground covering on slopes, exposing the soil underneath and making it more susceptible to debris flows. Such events can be catastrophic, as was the case in Montecito (Santa Barbara County) in 2018. David Longstreth, senior engineering geologist in California Geological Survey’s (CGS) Forest and Watershed Geology program, is one…

Protecting California’s Food Supply Through the COVID-19 Pandemic– [a webinar recap]

Supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19 brought food security — and the resilience of food networks — to the forefront of discussion among policy makers. In particular, the pandemic has highlighted essential role of local farmers in ensuring a reliable and healthy food supply for our state and country. That’s why the American Farmland Trust…

Your Voice Matters at CalGEM Public Health Meetings

Your voice matters. We mean it. DOC’s California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) has begun a series of 10 meetings around the state to hear the public’s comments and suggestions about how we can develop regulations to better protect health, safety, and the environment near oil and gas production operations. Creating new rules will take…

Citizen Scientists: Help CGS Map Landslides

See a landslide? Think C-A landslide, as in CAlandslide@conservation.ca.gov.
The California Geological Survey (CGS) is asking for the public’s help in pinpointing landslides which occur in many flavors: rockfalls, rock avalanches, and debris flow–in the state.