OCEANOGRAPHY 



WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 1960 



House of Representatives, 

 Special Subcommittee ox Oceanography of the 

 Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 



Washington, D.C. 

 The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to adjournment, in room 

 219, Old House Office Building, Hon. George P. Miller (chairman of 

 the subcommittee) presiding. 



Present: Representatives Miller, Dingell, Flynn, Dorn, Pelly, and 

 Curtin. 



Stalf members present : John H. Drewry, counsel ; Paul S. Bauer, 

 special consultant to subcommittee; and Frances Still, assistant clerk. 

 Mr. Miller. The committee will be in order. 



Capt. R. A. Earle, Chief of Geophysics Division, Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey, is the first witness. 

 Captain Earle. 



STATEMENT OF CAPT. ROBERT A. EARLE, CHIEF, GEOPHYSICS 

 DIVISION, U.S. COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 



Mr. Miller. Captain, I know that you are going to tell us some- 

 thing about earthquakes and the tsunami that they create. Perhaps 

 give us the histoiy of what is taking place now in the Pacific and 

 tell us what we should further do to get early warning on these 

 things. I do not know that we can do very much. 



Do you know of any way we can stop earthquakes ? 



Captain Earle. I do not think that there is any way we can stop 

 earthquakes, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Miller. We along the Hayward Fault in my district of Cali- 

 fornia would be very much interested if there was. 



Captain Earle. We certainly hope science comes up with some 

 method in the future whereby we can give warning of earthquakes. 



Mr. Miller. I assume that you know where Hayward Fault is. 



Captain Earle. That is a very active seismic zone out there. 



Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate this 

 opportunity to appear before you to tell you about the seismic seawave 

 warning system which is operated by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. 



As a background for this information, it is stated that after a dis- 

 astrous tsunami or seismic seawave hit the Hawaiian Islands on April 

 1, 1946, killing 173 people and causing damage in excess of $25 mil- 

 lion, the Coast and Geodetic Survey set up a warning system. Seismo- 

 graphs around the Pacific area were equipped with warning bells to 

 provide 24-hour monitoring of major earthquakes; selected tide sta- 



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