Steven Lower

Eyewitness to Geology Steven Lower

During both my education and my career as a professional geologist I was exposed me to a lot of interesting geology. And I saw a lot of geologic disasters, everything from earthquakes to landslides and seacliff retreat. I started my career as a geologist with the County of San Diego in 1974. In 1979 I went to work for the Kerr-McGee Corporation in Oklahoma City, where I worked for the next 22 years. At Kerr-McGee I did everything from design and construct water supply wells to cleaning up environmental messes. In retired from my career as a geologist in 2001. During my retirement my interest in geology has continued unabated. I have for many years wanted to write about the after affects of some geologic events in Southern California I had the opportunity to witness for myself, the 1952 Kern County Earthquake, 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, and the 1978 Blue Bird Canyon Landslide in Laguna Beach. And I was able to witness the slow but incessant affects of erosion of the seacliff along a stretch of the San Diego coast. And when it comes to earthquakes, in recent years Oklahoma has become "earthquake central" in the United States because of earthquakes induced by human endeavors. During my retirement I have continued to monitor earthquakes in the state I have called home since 1979.