Ales & Ideas presents ‘The Really Big One’ Pat Corcoran, Ed Joyce discuss earthquakes, tsunamis, more

Published 3:00 am Monday, January 4, 2016

ASTORIA — Clatsop Community College and Fort George Brewery announce the next Ales & Ideas community lecture in the 2015-16 series. On Thursday, Jan. 7, CCC Geology Instructor Ed Joyce joins Oregon State University hazards expert Patrick Corcoran to present “The Really Big One: Earthquakes, Tsunamis and the Cascadia Fault.”

Doors open with food and beverage service at 6 p.m. Seasonal beers on tap, food and other beverages are available for purchase, but no purchase is required. The talk will begin at 7 p.m. The Fort George Lovell Showroom is located at 14th and Duane St. Minors are welcome.

With new signs around town and notorious articles in nationally known magazines, many locals possess an active concern about the potential impacts of a “Really Big One,” aka a major earthquake and accompanying tsunami along the Cascadia Fault.

At this Ales & Ideas event, audience members will first be educated in the geology behind such concerns, including the science of earthquake prediction and the local tectonic setting. Then, the discussion will move forward to human perception, response and preparedness.

Corcoran promises to save time for “all questions to be addressed,” and audience members will have access to local maps, which include tsunami inundation zones and appropriate exit strategies. He promises to show off a “Go Bag!” and offer other specific tips for earthquake/tsunami preparedness in addition to discussing the psychological challenges and opportunities of preparing for Cascadia.

Corcoran is an OSU faculty member in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences who works locally out of the Clatsop County OSU Extension office. With a master of science under his belt, his area of expertise is “hazards outreach” with the purpose of building community resilience to coastal hazards.

Ed Joyce is newly relocated to Astoria and teaches geology at CCC. With a doctorate degree, his geology specialty is evolutionary paleontology and its application to petroleum exploration and drilling.