Giving "10.5" the Third Degree

The upcoming TV movie "10.5" doesn't tempt me--all I can picture is the filmmakers watching "Spinal Tap" in a stoned haze and saying "hey, man, what if like the Richter scale went up to 11, man?" After lavishing attention on debunking "Volcano" and after that "The Core," I have debunker fatigue. Not the folks at the U.S. Geological Survey, bless them. They're ready for their teachable moment with Earthquakes, "Mega Quakes," and the Movies. It's no fuddy-duddy act, either: the Survey has the responsibility "to educate Americans about the real hazards they face and to separate science fact from science fantasy." For more on the topic, see Geology and the Movies.