"The Northridge Earthquake: A Ten-Year Retrospective," co-sponsored by the Southern California Emergency Services Association and Northridge's Geology Department, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in the university's Engineering Auditorium near the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

"A lot has happened since 1994," said Edward Carroll, dean of Northridge's College of Science and Mathematics. "This retrospective allows those of us who study earthquakes and their impact on all aspects of society to compare notes and to share what we've learned."

Among those scheduled to take part are Lucy Jones, scientist in charge at the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena; Tom Heaton, professor of engineering and seismology at the California Institute of Technology; Laura Hernandez, manager of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services; Paul Weinberg, emergency services coordinator for the city of Santa Monica; and Donald Manning, member of the California Seismic Safety Commission.

At 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake rocked the Los Angeles area, its epicenter only a little more than a mile from Cal State Northridge. More than 70 people died as a result of the quake, and buildings across Los Angeles were severely damaged, or even destroyed, by the tremblor. On the Northridge campus, all 107 of its buildings were damaged, some beyond repair.

In the quake's aftermath, seismologists, dissatisfied with the performance of the seismic network, launched a five-year project to modernize and enhance the Southern California Seismic Network. Engineering studies sought to assess the performance and develop mitigation strategies for steel-frame buildings and wood-frame residential structures, both of which suffered an unexpected level of damage in the Northridge earthquake. Response procedures were reviewed by emergency response organizations at the state and local levels in an attempt to increase both the timeliness and efficiency of emergency response and recovery.

Those attending Tuesday's retrospective will go over what has been learned and what still needs to be done.

For more information about the retrospective, call James D. Goltz with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, California's Integrated Seismic Network, at (626) 356-3810.