Earthquake Exhibit: Life on a Dynamic Planet
See Earthquake this holiday season. The exhibit and planetarium show explore the seismic science that has shaped the evolution of life on Earth and continues to impact our lives today.
Brace Yourself!
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Evidence of a Restless PlanetExcite your senses with a new, visually stunning planetarium show that journeys through the San Andreas fault, delves into the Earth's core and explores the seismic science of earthquakes throughout our world. |
Earthquake Exhibit
Walk-through EarthWhat happens on Earth's surface is directly related to what is happening inside the planet. Step into Earth's interior to see what drives plate tectonics. Examine geologic specimens related to the core, mantle and crust. Explore how earthquake waves tell us about the inner workings of Earth's solid core. |
San Francisco ShakesThe Shake House is back! Travel back in time to see, hear and feel two earthquakes—an updated version of one of the Academy's most popular past exhibits—lets you experience the sustained tremors of the city's two biggest quakes, the 6.9–magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake and the 7.9–magnitude Great San Francisco quake of 1906. This immersive experience puts you inside the dining room of a classic Victorian-era home with a window view of San Francisco's famed "Painted Ladies" houses of Alamo Square. You'll travel back in time to feel the difference between these two quakes and learn useful tips on preparing for the Bay Area's next one. |
Coming SoonA new interactive display featuring five iPad stations and a large communal screen is currently in development. This multi-player game will allow visitors to piece together the landmasses of Gondwana and learn more about how plate tectonics shapes evolution. The game will debut in late January 2013. |
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Make a Plan
Get Kids InvolvedThere are several easy steps you can take to be prepared for an earthquake. After visiting the exhibit, involve family members and children to create a preparedness plan. Glean important tips on how to stay safe during and after a quake with this Quake Ready guide. Download these kit-building content cards to share with your children. |
Earthquake EngineeringNot all buildings are created equal. Learn how scientists are using seismic science to build stronger, safer buildings. |
Expert Advice and Helpful Resources
Involve your children in earthquake preparation and planning. It helps them to learn what to expect and increases the comfort of your entire family. Below are several useful online resources. Use these web pages to start a conversation, answer any questions, and get prepared.
- The US Geological Survey (USGS) has a great website for you to explore as a family, with a special “ABC” picture book especially tailored for young readers.
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has information appropriate for children who can read, and addresses tsunamis as well as earthquakes.
- Find out if you live near a fault line by visiting the Association of Bay Area Governments. This website, focusing on seismic science and local hazards, has a page tailored to 4th-graders and beyond.
- Build confidence and learn how to help your community with free training from the San Francisco Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Training Program. Visit the NERT website to learn how you can get involved.
- The USGS has created a useful handbook on earthquake science and preparedness available for free to the public. Download Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country.
- If you’re heading outdoors, why not explore the San Andreas fault in person? The USGS has an online guidebook with a selection of Bay Area field trips where you can discover the natural landscape of the San Andreas fault.
Shake Table Donors |
Made possible by gifts from Randi and Bob Fisher and the Ishiyama Foundation, and the generous support of donors like you:
- Meghan and Zach Adelman
- Michele and Mark Aldrich
- Marsha and John Anderson
- Terri Arington
- Judy and David Aro
- The Arrick Family
- Joyce Ashizawa-Yee and Bradley Yee
- Robert Aston
- Joan and Peter Avenali
- Elizabeth Babcock and Dave Hinds
- Barb and Mitch Barbee
- Janice and Matthew Barger
- John Beeston
- Paula Terrey and Charles Benedict
- Christina Bennett
- Medea and Bruce Bern
- Lou and Keith Bilter
- Pam Blau
- Kerrylynn Blau-Williams
- Helen Bogner and Jessica Lapic
- James Borges
- Jim Boyer
- Ruth Brennan
- Ray Breslau
- Sarah and Josh Brewer
- The Brito Family
- Michele Brouqua
- Oliver Brown
- Barbara Bundy
- Jacqueline Burke
- Kelli and G. Steven Burrill
- Gayla Caliva
- Shirley and Patrick Campbell
- Andrea LoPinto and Robert Carr
- Barbara Carroll Robinson
- CCI General Contractor
- Paul Chandler
- Kathy and Linda Christian
- Barbara Christman
- Barbi Jo Stim and Sam Ciofalo
- Diane and William Clarke
- Trina Clayton
- Hazel Clegg
- Nicholas Clinch
- Lisa Erburu and Mark Cocalis
- Maureen Corporal
- Copley and Marianne Crosby
- Sylvia Crotty
- Caroline Damsky
- Michele Dana
- Andrea Davis
- Beth Dawson and Greg Whitehead
- Adrienne Debisschop
- Judy Doi
- Ada and David Dorn
- Edward Drake
- Theresa and William Duewer
- Susan Dugger and Stan Mathison
- Arthur Dunlop
- Cindy and John Egan
- Lily Eng and Bobbie Dear
- Tiffany Ettedgui and John Maerzke
- Jean and Gregory Farrington
- Jennifer Faught
- Rebecca Stanwyck and Robert Ferencz, PhD
- Sean Ford
- Susan Forsythe
- Christine and Jerome Frazee
- Peter Frazier
- Grace Fukuda
- Tami Gager
- Evelina Gara
- Jessica Gheiler
- Steve Goldblatt
- Gene Graham
- Russell Graymer
- Chris Greenawalt
- William Gregory
- Karen Greig
- Megan and Michael Gridley
- Lynda Gross
- Susan Hambey
- John and Carol Hamilton
- Barbara Hancock
- Janet M. Harris
- Lynn Hart
- John Hayward
- Sheila and Isaac Heimbinder
- Eloice and Monica Helms
- Dorothy and Michael Herman
- Cynthia Hill and Steven Beckendorf
- Sarah Hines and Nathan Shinn
- Charles Hoffman
- Gayle and Wendy Hoffman
- Kathy and Jim Hormel
- Robin and Dick Hornung
- Yan Hu Zhao and Wei Wen Li
- Bernice Itkin
- Stuart Jivapongse
- Louis Josephson
- Kristina Kaiser
- Melissa Kelley and Stephen Meffert
- Kathy and Allen Kennedy
- Nancy Thompson and Andrew Kerr
- Debra and Douglas Kerr
- Tracy and Brian Keyser
- Susan Kimberlin
- Christine and Andrew Ko
- Kelly Korenak
- Alexei Kosut
- Sita and Watson Laetsch
- Carol Landson Callaway
- Sandra and Ralph Larson
- Kathryn Lauck
- Kim Le
- Joyce and Edgar Lehmann
- Doria Leong and Paul Mindrup
- Lifen Mai and Jian Guang Li
- Mark Liao
- Deborah Lindes
- Cynthia and Samuel Livermore
- Judith Lucius
- Leslie Luttgens
- Ursula Maberley
- Cynthia and John Major
- Takeo Makishima
- Daniel March
- Colleen and Rob Marsh
- Geraldine Mayer
- Betty McCosker
- Marcia McLaren
- Marilyn McNair
- Vera and Ken Meislin
- Robert Menzies
- Robert Meyer
- Satomi Fukuda and Roger Miles
- Stefanie Miller-Hetherington
- Shirley and Robert Mohr
- Sylvia and David Morafka
- Scott Moran
- Barbara Morgan
- Rand Morimoto
- The Mortensen Family
- Angela Murray
- John Nelson
- Kenneth Ness
- Diana and Dave Neumann
- Donald Nevins
- Dora Ng
- Shirley and Robert Nootbaar
- Gayle and Allen Notowitz
- Margaret O'Brien
- Jim Ojeda
- Barbara Ong
- Clayton Ong
- Chiyeko Ono
- Allison Oseth
- Lynne Parenti
- Robert Passmore
- Peter J. Perez
- Warren Perry
- Linda Persson and James Little
- Karen and John Pfautz
- Genelia Phillips
- Barbara and Thomas Preston
- Sunny Holland and Alan Pryor
- Karen Hill and Karen Rasmussen
- Nancy Ream
- Mary Renaker and Eric Brazel
- Diane Rhett
- Loren Rhoads and Mason Jones
- Jenny Hayes Rhoten
- Norma G. Rianda
- Anmarie Roache
- Chester Roaman
- Janet Robbins
- Pamela Roeber
- George Romer
- Allan Rosete and Russell Cornell
- Renee and Dennis Ross
- Rhonda Rubinstein
- Virginia Rumble
- Jaclyn Rusch
- Mary Ryan
- Patricia Ryan
- Catharine and Henry Sandbach
- Dinah Sanders
- Marilyn and Russ Saunders
- Laura Sawczuk and Luke Ellis
- Terry and James Schaeffer
- Felicia Schaffer
- Michael Schaffer
- Laura Schlichtmann and Leo Rachal
- Mae and Jessica Schoenig
- Rebecca Schuett and Craig Benson
- Mary and John Scully
- J. P. Seab
- Betty and Horton Shapiro
- Judith Shaw
- Gregory Sheppard
- Tomoko Shintani
- John Smith
- Mary and Gerould Smith
- Sheldon Smith
- Edwin Snyder
- Glenn Snyder
- Kay Sprinkel Grace
- Susan Staebler
- Joan Steinberg
- Ann Steppan
- The Stevens Family
- Jane and Paul Stewart
- Teresa Kelly-Stewart and Milton Stewart
- Virginia Stockton and Matthew Vieyra
- Leo Strauch
- Jane and John Stuppin
- Robert Stutz
- Edward Sullivan
- John Sutro
- Bonnie and Paul Swinderman
- Stephen Tannas
- David Tessler
- Jane Toffaleti
- Larry, Toshiko and Joyce Toji Family
- Jennifer Toji-Fong
- Trans/Tone Productions
- Melissa Trousdale
- Leland Tull
- Mary Turner
- Blanca and Frank Verdugo
- Stephanie Versin and Wendy Norris
- R. Vitanye
- Carol Volk
- Susan and Bradford Wait
- Marilyn and Murry Waldman
- Lucia and Kevin Wallace
- Jim Weill
- Carol and Frank Weise
- Marni and Eric Welch
- Mildie and John Whedon
- Robert and Sara White
- Anita Wing
- Diana Winningham
- Sharon and Stephanie Wong
- Vicky Wong
- Lisa Torres and Laurence Wuerstle
- Dawn Yates Black
- Flora Zagorites
- Ellen and Irving Zucker
- Diane and William Zuendt
- Mary Ann and Samuel Aronson
- Paula Bisson
- Charlotte and Michael Blackford
- Roberta Borgonovo
- Ardis and Alfred Breslauer
- Andrew Browne
- Gay Bryson
- Sachi and Anindyo Chatterjee
- Particia and Peter Clark
- Jane Corbett
- Jacqueline Craig
- Susan Crocker
- Pramila Dandekar
- Susan Dorsky
- Carolyn Dow
- Nancy and Donald Eager
- Nancy Elenberger and Dennis Goldstein
- Katherine and John Fehrn
- Mary Ann and Kate Frankel
- Susan Gray
- Sandra and Jean Haddad
- Elizabeth Hansell
- Ann Hardeman
- Karen Hart
- Louise and Donald Heyneman
- Susan Hodgson
- Linda Huang
- Bettina and David Hughes
- Monica and Robert Incerti
- Sally and Burton Kendall
- Jill Ross-Kuntz and Irwin Kuntz
- Ann and Richard Lanzerotti
- Jeanne and Henri Lese
- Harriet Levy and Philip Raful
- Irene Liao
- Sandra and Ronald Linder
- Leslie MacDonald
- Lou Anne and Everett Martin
- Susan and James Matisoff
- Valerie Meehan
- Renee and Rudeen Monte
- Barbara Morgan-Zaney
- Louise and William Nakamura
- Naomi Nakashima
- Maria and George Norall
- Carolyn O'Brien
- Ann Ocheltree
- Ingrid Oyen
- Patricia Litton and Henry Ralston
- Elena Schmid
- Margaret Scott and Kathleen Slobin
- Michael Sheiner
- Nancy and Gabriel Sider
- Margaret and William Snape
- Sandra Steele
- Judith and Harold Stoddard
- Marilyn and Thomas Swartz
- Susan Thomas
- Beverly and Bob Toy
- Joan and Donald Trauner
- Joan and Robert Vernon
- Barbara Webber
- Susan Werchick Davis
- Constance Rubiano and Peter Yedidia
- Amelia and John Yee
Make a donation and receive public recognition at the Shake Table.
(415) 379-5405
Thank you, Dr. Bolt |
Professor Bruce Bolt was an early pioneer of seismic safety and earthquake awareness. He invented the Academy's original shake tables.
Earthquake Course |
What are earthquakes? Find out in this iTunes U course -- a collaboration between KQED and the California Academy of Sciences developed to complement the Academy's exhibit, Earthquake: Life on a Dynamic Planet.