PRELIMINARY REPORT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN 



SEISMOLOGY. 



The proposal of the Carnegie Institution of Washington to enter the 

 field of seismology has the approval of the Advisory Committee in 

 Seismology for several important and, in the opinion of the committee, 

 opportune reasons. 



(1) This countrj^ has not hitherto taken an active part in seismologic 

 research when compared, for example, with England, Germany, or 

 Japan. 



(2) In the State of California there is probably a more favorable 

 opportunity for the study of crustal movements in great variety than 

 in any other region, save possibly Japan. Furthermore, if the land- 

 slips there are due in whole or in part to accumulating stresses caused 

 by crustal drift or otherwise, then the present is a more opportune time 

 for their study than the period immediately following a release of these 

 stresses (earthquake). 



(3) As research is organized in the United States, a reasonably com- 

 prehensive study of California earth movements would require the 

 participation of several agencies which would probably not undertake 

 the task independently, but which have indicated a desire to cooperate 

 with the Carnegie Institution in such a study. It is of interest to note 

 that, since the action of the Institution became known, resolutions of 

 indorsement and support have been passed by the San Francisco sec- 

 tion of the American Institute of Mining Engineers (May 17), by the 

 Board of Directors of the Seismological Society of America (May 25), 

 by the Executive Committee of the American Geophysical Union 

 (September 17), and by the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco 

 (November 17). 



(4) Studies of local movements as opposed to teleseismic observa- 

 tions have not been systematically undertaken hitherto (except to some 

 extent in Japan) . They appear to offer a fertile field of research and to 

 promise information of considerable economic value, particularly to 

 the West Coast region of the United States. 



There is already in existence a rather carefully prepared plan^ for 

 the study of earth movements in California, which has had the approval 

 and indorsement of the American Geophysical Union and of the Divi- 

 sion of Geology and Geography of the National Research Council. It 

 has been published and has received some favorable individual com- 

 ment. 



Assuming that the Institution is favorably disposed toward taking 

 the initiative in such an undertaking, your committee is of the opinion 

 that there are five different projects which might profitably receive 

 attention together. These will be stated briefly in succession : 



'H. O. Wood: "The earthquake problem in the western United States," Bull. Seis. Soc. Am., 

 VI, 4, Dec. 1916. 



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