USGS lectures, maps, exhibits, tours USGS lectures, maps, exhibits, tours (July 07, 2004)

USGS will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Menlo Park through the year with a public lecture series, highlighting major scientific achievements by local scientists, and with exhibits in Building 3 and other buildings.

Lectures

"Secrets in Stone: The Role of Paleomagnetism in the Evolution of Plate Tectonic Theory" will be the title of the next public lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29, in the conference room of Building 3, at 345 Middlefield Road.

Research geologist Jack Hillhouse will introduce a USGS documentary describing work of USGS scientists in the famous tar paper shack, and lead a tour of the new Paleomagnetics Laboratory.

Future lectures the last Thursday of each month will cover such research topics as "Construction of the Trans-Alaska Petroleum Pipeline," "Insights from the Ocean Bottom," and "Advances in Volcanology."

For schedules, call 329-5000; or visit http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calandar.

Exhibits, tours

The USGS campus at 345 Middlefield Road in Menlo Park is a combination arboretum and museum.

The Earth Science Information Center, in the entrance to Building 3 by the flagpole, has exhibits in the lobby and hallways about the early years of the Survey after its establishment by Clarence King.

Behind the exhibits is the map sales department, where the public can buy maps and other publications, and ask questions.

Also at the map-sales office, people can pick up guides for three tours of the 16-acre campus. The self-guided tours are: The whole Western Regional Center; "Gardens and Granites," a guide to the second largest collection of rhododendron varieties in California, collected by Howard Oliver, plus displays of specimen rocks; and a tour of native and exotic trees.

USGS buildings are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The map sales office closes at 4 p.m., except on lecture nights, when it stays open to 7 p.m. To order maps or publications online, visit http://store.usgs.gov.

For more information, call 1-888-ASK-USGS (275-8747).

These Web sites have information on USGS and earthquakes: http://menlocampus.wr.usgs.gov/50years; and http://quake.usgs.gov.

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