Rocks and Flowers is a periodic critique of both good and bad journalism. Today we give a bouquet to Rosanna Xia of the Los Angeles Times for her well-crafted story of Lucy Jones.

Jones, the so-called “earthquake lady,” is retiring from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena.

Over the decades, Jones has earned the praise of other scientists, government officials and the public for her clear explanation about earthquakes and how citizens and communities can prepare for them.

Equally understandable and compelling is reporter Xia’s profile of Lucy Jones history and accomplishments. The story is both inspiring and illuminating.

Kudos to Rosanna Xia and the Los Angeles Times for this well written piece on Professor Lucy Jones.