This One Goes Out To Juan de Fuca -

Because today marks the 140th anniversary of the first Great San Francisco Earthquake (the one in 1868, before Nature decided to one-up itself in 1906), Wired published several fascinating articles on earthquake technology and history.

First, this video podcast on earthquake-proof technology at the University of California’s Earthquake Engineering Research Center. Those machines are gigantic! It’s cool to see how the first building they shake crumbles and the next – identical – building stands strong.

And then two galleries of historic photos from the 1868 Quake and the Ten Deadliest Quakes in U.S. History. The point is not just to gawk at the damage, but to learn from what happened in the past.

Because, thanks to the Juan de Fuca plate, we in Portland are as much at risk of a big quake as San Francisco. So remember – as quake researcher Nick Sitar says in the video – the old advice to duck under your desk is still good.