Current Abstract

November 10th, 2026 Meeting Abstract

This Month’s Topic: The Science Behind the 1952 Earthquake in Kern County

Presented by: Dr. Matt Herman

Abstract: 

The 1952 Kern County earthquakes caused substantial damage to Arvin, Tehachapi, Lamont, and Bakersfield. Although the mainshock was the third largest earthquake in California’s historical record, the nature and tectonic drivers of the event remain enigmatic. The earthquake was studied extensively at the time, but those scientists had challenges in interpreting the event. The development of plate tectonics, advances in seismology, and new computer technology in the 1960s and 1970s led to better constraints on the earthquake and its aftershocks, as well as understanding the broader plate tectonic deformational context. Today, California’s tectonic evolution in space and time is well constrained, allowing us to explain previously confusing aspects of the 1952 earthquakes. Some uncertainties persist, and these pose important questions for earthquake hazards and tectonic processes acting throughout the southern Central Valley.

Biography:

Dr. Matt Herman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University, Bakersfield. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Geosciences from Penn State and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University before coming to CSUB. His research focuses on plate boundary geophysical and geodynamic processes, especially as they relate to earthquakes and other crustal deformation. He has published his research in many international, peer-reviewed journals, including Nature and Science Advances. He has also contributed to communicating earthquake science to the public through collaborations with the U.S.
Geological Survey, interviews with media, and presentations to local organizations including SJGS, the CSUB 60+ Club, and the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History & Science. At SUB, Dr. Herman teaches courses on natural disasters, geophysics, and plate tectonics, and actively mentors student research on geophysics-related projects