Watch CBS News

Report: Earthquake Expert Dr. Lucy Jones, Others Furloughed

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The partial government shutdown has resulted in the furlough of well-known seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones along with about 30 others in Pasadena, according to a KNX 1070 report.

U.S. Geological Survey spokesman Dave Applegate told KNX 1070's Ed Mertz that the agency has been reduced to a skeleton crew.

Earthquake Expert Dr. Lucy Jones, Others Furloughed

"While we're maintaining our monitoring of earthquakes … we're not able with that skeleton crew to be able to maintain the network stations, except in situations where it's going to really critically impact our ability to report on the quake," he said.

If the shutdown continues, Applegate says the USGS won't take part in the Great California ShakeOut scheduled for next Thursday.

A seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Jones joined the agency in the 1980s, becoming the public face for earthquake science and safety.

Over the years, Jones has reported on hundreds of quakes.

Jones earned a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.