This article was an observation of a geologic study of the Salton Trough and the San Andreas Fault, two significant geographic features relating to California earthquake activity. The article was told as a narrative, with most of its length being a detailed account of the process of the study, interspersed with more general and broad data. The scientific study involved digging holes and planting explosives while monitoring the blast waves to paint a picture of the subsurface fault lines and landscape. The purpose of the study is to learn more about the "Big One"--the massive earthquake, presumed to be from the San Andreas Fault, due to strike California very soon.
Who: Gary Fuis, a geophysicist, is the main scientist of the study. The article is told around him.
What: Fuis and colleagues are planting meters and measuring devices around the Salton Trough to measure seismic activity.
Where: The study is being performed around the Salton Trough near the Salton Sea.
Why: Not very much is known about the particular physics of the San Andreas Fault, and with the recent Japanese earthquake, such data is more and more important.
When: The study was performed three days after the Japan earthquake.
This article is journalism because it relays important information about a subject on most Californians' minds: the Big One. Such an earthquake must be prepared for, and this article helps Californians prepare by informing them about the situation. It was effective in its data, but was a bit cheesy. It seemed more of a dramatic narrative with details not critical to the story such as Fuis' "animated hands."
The CBT for this article is a bit tough, but the CBT for Language Arts: Evangelism, is applicable. Just as with any natural disaster or crisis, floods of people will run to God in Jesus Christ. As Christians, we must be ready to guide them and bring them to faith to the best of our abilities. Because most geologists agree that the "Big One" is actually long overdue, Christians need to be as ready as ever to communicate our beliefs.
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