![FEMA - 1656 - Photograph by FEMA News Photo taken on 01-17-1994 in California](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/FEMA_-_1656_-_Photograph_by_FEMA_News_Photo_taken_on_01-17-1994_in_California.jpg)
Lucile M. Jones (born 1955) is a
seismologist
Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...
and public voice for earthquake science and earthquake safety in California. One of the foremost and trusted public authorities on earthquakes,
Jones is viewed by many in Southern California as the "seismologist-next-door," who is frequently called up on to provide information on recent earthquakes.
She is currently a research associate at the Seismological Laboratory at Caltech and chief scientist and founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society.
She was previously at the
US Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, an ...
from 1985 to 2016, where she conducted research in the areas of foreshocks, seismotectonics, and the application of hazards science to improve societal resilience after natural disasters. At USGS, she was also part of the team of scientists that developed the
Great Shakeout Earthquake Drills,
during which millions around the world participate in annual earthquake safety drills.
Scientific career
Jones has authored over 100 papers on research seismology with primary interest in the physics of earthquakes,
foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event (the mainshock) and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequ ...
s and
earthquake hazard assessment, and the
seismotectonics Seismotectonics is the study of the relationship between the earthquakes, active tectonics and individual faults of a region. It seeks to understand which faults are responsible for seismic activity in an area by analysing a combination of region ...
(earthquake-producing geologic structures) of southern California. Jones received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese language and literature, magna cum laude, from
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in 1976 and a Ph.D. in
geophysics
Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...
from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
in 1981.
She visited China in February 1979 in order to study the
1975 Haicheng earthquake
On February 4, 1975 at 19:36 CST, an earthquake of 7.5 and intensity (MMI) IX hit the city of Haicheng, Liaoning, China. Much of the city was evacuated before the earthquake, so few died from building collapse, however, many died from fire and ...
, which had apparently been successfully predicted by the Chinese authorities based on an analysis of its foreshock sequence. In doing so, she became one of the first United States scientists to enter China following the
normalization
Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Most commonly it refers to:
* Normalization (sociology) or social normalization, the process through which ideas and behaviors that may fall outside of ...
of relations between the two countries.
[Wallace, 2011] She is a past Secretary of the Seismology Section of the
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...
, and past director and past chair of the publications committee of the
Seismological Society of America
The Seismological Society of America (SSA) is an international scientific society devoted to the advancement of seismology and the understanding of earthquakes for the benefit of society. Founded in 1906, the society has members throughout the wor ...
.
Jones served as the Science Advisor for Risk Reduction for the
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
Natural Hazards Mission Area, as part of the SAFRR Project. She also worked as a Commissioner of the California Seismic Safety Commission (CSSC), which advises the governor and legislature on seismic safety, by appointment of
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...
in 2002 and reappointment by Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
in 2005 and served on the
California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council
The California Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council (CEPEC) is a committee of earthquake experts that reviews potentially credible earthquake predictions and forecasts. Its purpose is to advise the Governor of California via the California Offi ...
.
In January 2014, she entered into a partnership on behalf of the USGS with the City of Los Angeles to serve as Seismic Risk Advisor to Mayor
Eric Garcetti
Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 Los An ...
.
After retiring from the USGS in 2016,
Jones founded the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society and wrote a book published in 2018 titled ''The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them)''.
In the book, Jones chronicles some of the world's greatest natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, and analyzes how people have responded to them in order to understand how future crises can be survived.
Jones was in residence at the
University of Oregon's Wayne Morse
Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing his party's leadership and for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds.
...
Center for Law and Politics as the Wayne Morse Chair, where she provided public talks on disaster preparedness and science communication.
Public outreach
Since 1986, Jones has given many interviews to the press on behalf of the US Geological Survey following significant earthquakes in southern California. In many media appearances, she worked together with fellow Caltech seismologist,
Kate Hutton
Kate Hutton, nicknamed the Earthquake Lady, Dr. Kate, or Earthquake Kate, is a former staff seismologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, where she monitored Southern California's earthquake activity for 37 year ...
. In a 2004 profile of Jones,
Tom Jordan of the USGS was quoted as saying, "Lucy provides Southern California — and the nation — with a very calming voice and an authoritative voice to the public's inquiry in disaster." He also said that her high public profile may make her "one of the most effective chairs of CSSC ever".
[Lubick, 2004]
Public perception of Jones as a voice of calm and reassurance has been attributed, in part, to an incident following the
1992 Joshua Tree earthquake in which she answered press questions while holding her sleeping child in her arms. In a 2011 interview, Jones denied the story that she asked the press to be quiet so as not to wake her son. She also expressed some regret that she became a symbol that "women can have it all".
In 2015, Jones was embedded at Los Angeles City Hall, a move by the USGS that
Caltech
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
's
Tom Heaton
Thomas David Heaton (born 15 April 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Manchester United.
Heaton began his career in the Manchester United academy but was unable to break into the first team and sp ...
credited with the September passage of a retrofitting plan that would increase seismic survivability of over 15,000 structures largely built of non-ductile concrete.
Covid-19
In light of her reputation as a respected and trusted authority on earthquakes,
Jones has been called upon for her comments regarding other natural disasters and crises, such as the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. According to Jones, in a crisis, the public is best served when they are given "one clear message" to minimize the possibility of overwhelming or confusing people.
And for the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, that message, says Jones, is "
n't share your air" by wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance.
Climate change
In 2022, Jones founded an initiative called "Tempo: Music for Climate Action" to encourage climate scientists, social scientists, and musicians to gather and explore climate issues.
Selected awards
Jones has received the
Alquist Award from the California Earthquake Safety Foundation, the Shoemaker Award for Lifetime Achievements in Science Communication from the USGS, the
Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal from the Partnership for Public Service in 2015, and the
Seismological Society of America
The Seismological Society of America (SSA) is an international scientific society devoted to the advancement of seismology and the understanding of earthquakes for the benefit of society. Founded in 1906, the society has members throughout the wor ...
's
Frank Press
Frank Press (December 4, 1924 – January 29, 2020) was an American geophysicist. He was an advisor to four U.S. presidents, and later served two consecutive terms as president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1981–1993). He was the ...
Public Service Award in 2018.
Personal
Jones, a fourth-generation resident of southern California, currently lives in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
. She is married to fellow seismologist
Egill Hauksson
Egil or Egill is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse. It may refer to:
Characters
*Egil (Hymiskvida), farmer in the poem ''Hymiskvida''
*Egil, brother of Volund, hero of Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga
*Egil One-Hand, hero from the ...
and they have two sons.
Jones is a musician and composer, who plays a Renaissance stringed instrument called the
viol
The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...
. She is a member of Los Angeles Baroque, which calls itself "LA's Community Baroque Orchestra." In 2019, Jones released a music video accompanying a piece she composed called ''In Nomine Terra Calens,'' which translates to “In the Name of a Warming Earth.”
''In Nomine Terra Calens'' is her musical interpretation of global temperature data from 1880 to 2017, which shows an increase at what Jones calls a "terrifying" rate.
In February 2019, Los Angeles Baroque performed ''In Nomine Terra Calens'' at the
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States. Its collections include nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts and cover 4.5 billion years of history. This large coll ...
.
References
External links
*
Lucy Jones speaking on the expected CA ‘Big One’ and the needed preparations, December 20132015 SCEC Annual Meeting Honoree: Lucy Jones–
Southern California Earthquake Center
The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a collaboration of more than 1,000 scientists across 100 research institutions with a mission to: conduct research on earthquakes in Southern California and elsewhere by gathering data, conductin ...
Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and SocietyThe Great ShakeOutSouthern California Seismic NetworkLos Angeles Baroque
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Lucy
1955 births
Living people
20th-century American geologists
20th-century American women scientists
21st-century American geologists
21st-century American scientists
21st-century American women scientists
American geophysicists
American seismologists
American women geologists
Brown University alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni
People from Pasadena, California
Scientists from California
United States Geological Survey personnel
Women geophysicists