INFORMAL GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION OF SEISMIC HAZARDS USING CULTURALLY-RELEVANT APPROACHES

Accurate geoscience information presented in a culturally-relevant way serves to educate and calm the general public during seismic events and discussions of seismic hazards. This was evident from comments received after a series of talks to the public during the 2019-2020 Seismic Sequence in Southwest Puerto Rico. This resulted in the most damaging earthquakes in a century. The sequence prompted a generalized interest in geoscience and recognition of the need to improve formal and informal education practices. This experience led us to reflect upon the value of informal geoscience education talks for the general public and the significance of creating Ciencias Terrestres, Geología y Puerto Rico (http://geolpr.com), a blog for a Spanish-speaking audience and focused on disseminating geoscience information using a concise, down-to-earth, and culturally-relevant language. All entries are original articles supported by primary and secondary science literature and related to the Caribbean region. Since 2011, the blog has received more than 364,000 views from 213,000 visitors, averaging close to 110 visits per day. In January 2020, the month of the main aftershock, there were 2,500/day average visits to the blog. Most visitors accessed articles on faults, plate tectonics, and earthquakes. An article written on January 7 is now the most visited page on the blog with more than 49,000 visits. The article is based on a literature review on the active tectonics of the region. The link to the article was distributed via social media and was also published in El Nuevo Día, the main newspaper of Puerto Rico. Feedback on the article indicates that it was easily understood based on the simple, straightforward language, a publicly made map of known faults, and the daily-experience examples used to discuss tectonic processes. The article also presented a model of the seismic sequence based on peer-reviewed publications. Comments received after the informal talks are aligned with the feedback about the blog in relation to understanding the concepts, in addition to expressing more confidence in scientists and feeling calmer after the talk. Timely and culturally-relevant geoscience talks and articles based on peer-reviewed literature may serve as important tools for informal education during seismic events and discussions of seismic hazards.