Our Ever-Changing Earth: Earth Science Week at the California Oil Museum

Santa Paula, CA - Come journey through time with the California Oil Museum (1001 E. Main Street, Santa Paula, Wednesday – Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM) and discover “Our Ever-Changing Earth”! The Museum will be celebrating Earth Science Week 2011 from October 12 through October 23. This year's event will engage the public in actively learning about the varied and interconnected natural processes that shape our planet over time. From the water coming out of our faucets to the monitoring of ground movement, the geosciences are intertwined in our everyday activities.

“Planetary change raises important questions among young people, educators, and the public,” says Ann E. Benbow, Ph.D., AGI’s Director of Education and Outreach. “Earth Science Week 2011 will highlight the important roles that paleontologists, geologists, and other earth scientists play in building understanding of the complex interactions among the earth systems — atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere — over time.”

Earthquakes and volcanoes are but two of the sudden changes that can affect our lives and are vividly displayed in the exhibit. Hands-on activities include a quiz testing earthquake savvy, shake blocks for viewing building resonances, and an experiment with liquefaction! The exhibit will also have visitors thinking about earthquake safety and provide checklists for families to put in place before an earthquake strikes.

October 12 is also National Fossil Day and one wall of the exhibit displays incredible specimens of local fossils and petrified wood from Ventura County, on loan from the Ventura Gem and Mineral Society and Oxnard Gem and Mineral Society. Adding to the display is a touch table of fossils large and small which can be viewed through lenses and microscopes.

California and Ventura County are famous for their natural seeps of oil and gas, both in the ocean and on land. These seeps are important indicators of the rich natural resources below the surface of the Earth and have contributed to our local oil history from the late 1800s to the present. The exhibit’s simulated natural seep shows the diversity of a changing surface and how life adapts to change.

Earth Science Week offers the public opportunities to discover the earth sciences and engage in responsible stewardship of the Earth, so please join us at the Museum this October and bring your budding young scientists! Earth Science Week is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, the AAPG Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, the National Park Service, ExxonMobil, and ESRI.

WHO: California Oil Museum

WHAT: Earth Science Week Celebration with Hands-on Activities

WHEN: October 12 – 23, 2011(Museum Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM)

WHERE: 1001 E. Main Street, Santa Paula, CA 93060 (Admission: Adults $4, Seniors $3, Youth (6-17) $1, Children under 6 and Members FREE)

WHY: To engage students in discovering the Earth sciences and to remind people that Earth science is all around us.