The Los Angeles City Council will declare this day in honor of seismologist Lucy Jones, who is retiring from the U.S. Geological Survey after a 33 year-tenure in which she worked to demystify earthquakes for the general public.
Jones is often called out to news conferences after a major temblor to provide information about what had just occurred, and in one memorable instance, she appeared on live television fielding questions from reporters while carrying her sleeping toddler.
In recent years, Jones has used her Twitter page to provide real-time information and tips following an earthquake. She will also occasionally fact- check pop culture portrayals of the geological occurrence, as she did with her live-tweeting of the disaster movie “San Andreas.”
The 61-year-old Jones has said that after her retirement today, she will remain with Caltech and raise money to build a center focused on helping policymakers make better use of scientific research.
Jones said she also wants to put more attention on issues such as climate change.
Jones’s time with USGS was spent as a visiting research associate based out of Caltech’s Seismological Laboratory, where she studied earthquake occurrence probability and the short-term probability of foreshock and aftershock sequences.
She also took on projects aimed at helping the public better prepare for earthquakes, including developing the large-scale ShakeOut earthquake drill that involves numerous public agencies practicing for the ‘Big One’ that is predicted to hit the Southland.
Jones also partnered with the city of Los Angeles in 2014 to create a preparedness plan that has resulted in a law mandating retrofits for older buildings considered structurally vulnerable in an earthquake.
Councilman Mitch Englander will lead today’s presentation — featuring remarks from Jones’ USGS colleagues — in the City Council chamber at Los Angeles City Hall.
