The Earth is a very dynamic place. Geologic change occurs very slowly and progressively, but it can also happen episodically (i.e. abruptly) in “punctuated” events.
Every day, sand moves imperceptibly along a beach by longshore drift. It also moves suddenly by the erosive energy of summer storms. Similarly, the plates of the Earth are imperceptibly moving and quaking all the time, every day. Most of the time, this motion happens in small quantities and in unpopulated areas, and thus goes unnoticed. It is the punctuated event of the large-magnitude earthquake that wakes us up to the reality that we live on a continuously changing planet.
This month’s Science Café Cleveland discussion will address the Earth’s interior, and what science has learned about its structure, its movements and its quakes.
David Saja, endowed chair and curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, will lead the event, titled “Rocks in Motion: Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates.”
The event will be held Monday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland). Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and limited menu options will be available for purchase. A chairlift is available by request.