Hazards: EXPRESS
Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research
Learn how our multi-agency team is mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States.
EXPRESS geonarrativeThe EXPRESS Campaign
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope.
Expanding Pacific Research & Exploration of Submerged Systems: EXPRESS
Science Center Objects
Marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis lie offshore of densely populated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. One goal of EXPRESS is to improve assessments of these hazards.
USGS scientist Pete Dartnell processes multibeam data collected from off the Pacific Northwest coast on a research cruise aboard NOAA ship Rainier.
U.S. west coast offshore hazards include catastrophic shaking from large earthquakes in the Cascadia subduction zone of northern California, Oregon, and Washington. In central and southern California, earthquakes on undersea strike-slip faults can also damage the mainland. Related hazards include local tsunamis generated by offshore earthquakes and landslides. Underwater landslides can also threaten seafloor infrastructure such as pipelines, communication cables, and oil platforms.
EXPRESS priorities that contribute to marine geohazard assessments include:
- Extend bathymetry and backscatter coverage to high priority areas
- Identify underwater geological hazards and evaluate their potential for generating tsunamis
For more information, explore our geonarrative:
“Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research: multi-agency team mapping uncharted waters and exploring deep-sea ecosystems off the west coast of the United States”
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.
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Date published: September 2, 2021Status: ActiveEcosystems: EXPRESS
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean...
Contacts: Danny Brothers, Nancy Prouty -
Date published: August 23, 2021Status: ActiveHazards: EXPRESS
Marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis lie offshore of densely populated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. One goal of EXPRESS is to improve assessments of these hazards.
Contacts: Danny Brothers, Nancy Prouty -
Date published: August 23, 2021Status: ActiveResources: EXPRESS
Along the U.S. west coast, the Pacific Ocean, ocean floor, and winds above contain potentially vast energy and mineral resources. Developing these resources safely and wisely requires detailed information for each area of interest. One goal of EXPRESS is to inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions.
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Date published: August 23, 2021Status: ActiveCascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards
Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
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Date published: July 30, 2021Status: ActiveU.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards
Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.
Devastating earthquakes in Japan (2011) and Chile (2010) that spawned pan-oceanic tsunamis sent a sobering reminder that U.S. coastlines are also vulnerable to natural disasters that originate in...
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Date published: November 12, 2020Status: ActiveCore Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories
We process and analyze sediment cores collected from coastal, fluvial, estuarine, lacustrine, and marine environments. We have a Geotek core splitter, shrink wrap system, and a wide assortment of sampling tools and balances for core sample preparation and analysis. We store the cores, along with other sediment samples, in a large, walk-in refrigerated room that features library-style rolling...
Morphology, structure, and kinematics of the San Clemente and Catalina faults based on high-resolution marine geophysical data, southern California Inner Continental Borderland
Catalina Basin, located within the southern California Inner Continental Borderland (ICB), is traversed by two active submerged fault systems that are part of the broader North America-Pacific plate boundary: the San Clemente fault (along with a prominent splay, the Kimki fault) and the Catalina fault. Previous studies have suggested that the San...
Walton, Maureen A. L.; Brothers, Daniel; Conrad, James E.; Maier, Katherine L.; Roland, Emily C.; Kluesner, Jared; Dartnell, Peter Right-lateral fault motion along the slope-basin transition, Gulf of Santa Catalina, southern California
An active fault system carrying a significant component of right-lateral strike-slip motion extends for ~60 km along the slope–basin transition, ~10 to 20 km offshore of the southern California coast from La Jolla to Dana Point. From south to north, this fault system includes the Carlsbad, San Onofre, and San Mateo fault zones. High-resolution...
Cochran, Susan; Conrad, James; Brothers, Daniel; Coble, Katherine; Holly F. Ryan; Dartnell, Peter; Sliter, Ray The Santa Cruz Basin submarine landslide complex, southern California: Repeated failure of uplifted basin sediment
The Santa Cruz Basin (SCB) is one of several fault-bounded basins within the California Continental Borderland that has drawn interest over the years for its role in the tectonic evolution of the region, but also because it contains a record of a variety of modes of sedimentary mass transport (i.e., open slope vs. canyon-confined systems). Here,...
Brothers, Daniel S.; Maier, Katherine L.; Kluesner, Jared W.; Conrad, James E.; Chaytor, Jason The tectonically controlled San Gabriel Channel–Lobe Transition Zone, Catalina Basin, Southern California Borderland
High-resolution geophysical data across the Catalina Basin, offshore southern California, USA, reveal a complex channel–lobe transition zone (CLTZ) and provide an opportunity to characterize an entire seafloor CLTZ in a tectonically active and confined-basin setting. The seafloor morphology, distribution of depositional and erosional features, and...
Maier, Katherine L.; Roland, Emily C.; Walton, Maureen A. L.; Conrad, James E.; Brothers, Daniel S.; Dartnell, Peter; Kluesner, Jared W. Practical approaches to maximizing the resolution of sparker seismic reflection data
Sparkers are a type of sound source widely used by the marine seismic community to provide high-resolution imagery of the shallow sub-bottom (i.e., < 1000 m). Although sparkers are relatively simple, inexpensive, and high-frequency (100–2500 Hz) sources, they have several potential pitfalls due to their complicated and...
Kluesner, Jared; Brothers, Daniel; Hart, Patrick E.; Miller, Nathaniel C.; Hatcher, Gerry Seafloor fluid seeps on Kimki Ridge, offshore southern California: Links to active strike-slip faulting
The Kimki Ridge fluid seeps are located in western Catalina Basin about 60 km southwest of the southern California mainland and at a water depth of approximately 1100 m. Multichannel seismic reflection profiles collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2014 show acoustic transparency within the Kimki...
Conrad, James E.; Prouty, Nancy G.; Walton, Maureen A. L.; Kluesner, Jared W.; Maier, Katherine L.; McGann, Mary; Brothers, Daniel; Roland, Emily C.; Dartnell, Peter Investigation of late Pleistocene and Holocene activity in the San Gregorio fault zone on the continental slope north of Monterey Canyon, offshore central California
We provide an extensive high‐resolution geophysical, sediment core, and radiocarbon dataset to address late Pleistocene and Holocene fault activity of the San Gregorio fault zone (SGFZ), offshore central California. The SGFZ occurs primarily offshore in the San Andreas fault system and has been accommodating dextral strike‐slip motion between the...
Maier, Katherine L.; Paull, Charles K.; Brothers, Daniel; Caress, David W.; McGann, Mary; Lundsten, Eve M.; Anderson, Krystle; Gwiazda, Roberto Missing link between the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults
The next major earthquake to strike the ~7 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area will most likely result from rupture of the Hayward or Rodgers Creek faults. Until now, the relationship between these two faults beneath San Pablo Bay has been a mystery. Detailed subsurface imaging provides definitive evidence of active faulting along the...
Watt, Janet; Ponce, David A.; Parsons, Thomas E.; Hart, Patrick E.-
Date published: August 23, 2021Donated AUV bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2018-2019 offshore of south-central California
This data release consists of donated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) bathymetry and Chirp seismic-reflection data collected using an AUV in 2018 and 2019. The collection of these data was funded entirely by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), and the data have been donated to the USGS. The data were collected in collaboration with the USGS and BOEM
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Date published: August 23, 2021Composite multibeam bathymetry surface and data sources of the southern Cascadia Margin offshore Oregon and northern California
Bathymetry data from various sources, including newly released 2018 and 2019 multibeam data collected by NOAA and the USGS, were combined to create a composite 30-m resolution multibeam bathymetry surface of the southern Cascadia Margin offshore of Oregon and northern California. The bathymetry data are available as a 30-m resolution geoTIFF file, accompanied by a polygon shapefile
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Date published: July 12, 2021High-resolution multi-channel and Chirp seismic-reflection data from USGS cruise 2018-641-FA collected in south-central California in support of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cal DIG I offshore alternative energy project
The purpose of the study is to assess shallow geohazards, benthic habitats, and thereby the potential for alternative energy infrastructure (namely floating wind turbines) offshore south-central California due to its proximity to power grid infrastructure associated with the Morro Bay power plant. This dataset was collected as part of a geophysical survey during two legs at sea in 2018.
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Date published: July 6, 2020Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data of USGS field activity 2018-645-FA collected in the Santa Barbara Channel in July of 2018
High-resolution multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the USGS in July of 2018 between Point Conception and Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Data were collected aboard USGS R/V Parke Snavely during field activity 2018-645-FA. Data were acquired to support the USGS geologic hazards projects to aid hazard assessment...
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Date published: April 30, 2020Quaternary faults offshore of California
A comprehensive map of Quaternary faults has been generated for offshore of California. The Quaternary fault map includes mapped geometries and attribute information for offshore fault systems located in California State and Federal waters. The polyline shapefile has been compiled from previously published mapping where relatively dense, high-resolution marine geophysical data exist. The data...
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Date published: March 31, 2020Minisparker and chirp seismic-reflection data of field activity 2014-645-FA; offshore Santa Barbara, southern California from 2014-11-12 to 2014-11-25
USGS collected high-resolution multichannel minisparker and single-channel chirp seismic-reflection data in November 2014, in the offshore Catalina and Santa Cruz basins, which are surrounded by several of the southern California Channel Islands. The survey was designed to image areas of the seafloor associated with movement on the numerous faults offshore of southern California.
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Date published: March 27, 2020Chirp seismic-reflection data of USGS field activity 2016-616-FA collected in the Catalina Basin offshore southern California in February 2016
This data release contains 41 chirp sub-bottom profiles that were collected in February of 2016 from the Catalina Basin offshore southern California by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific and Coastal Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Washington. Data were collected aboard the University of Washington’s R/V Thomas G. Thompson on USGS cruise 2016-616-FA. Chirp pro
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Date published: March 27, 2020Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection data of USGS field activity 2016-616-FA collected in the Catalina Basin offshore southern California in February 2016
This data release contains 25 multichannel minisparker seismic reflection (MCS) profiles that were collected in February of 2016 from the Catalina Basin offshore southern California by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific and Coastal Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Washington. Data were collected aboard the University of Washington’s R/V Thomas G. Thompson
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Date published: February 25, 2020Archive of boomer subbottom data collected offshore Eureka, California during USGS field activity W-1-96-NC from 1996-06-29 to 1996-07-07
This data release contains boomer subbottom data collected in June and July of 1996 on the shelf and slope offshore Eureka, California. Subbottom acoustic penetration spans up to several tens of meters, and is variable by location. This data release contains digital SEG-Y data. The data were collected aboard the R/V Wecoma using a Huntec Hydrosonde Deep-Tow system.
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Date published: February 20, 2020Multichannel sparker seismic reflection data of USGS field activity 2018-658-FA collected between Cape Blanco and Cape Mendocino from 2018-10-04 to 2018-10-18
This data release contains processed high-resolution multichannel sparker seismic-reflection (MCS) data that were collected aboard Humboldt State University’s R/V Coral Sea in October of 2018 on U.S. Geological Survey cruise 2018-658-FA on the shelf and slope between Cape Blanco, Oregon, and Cape Mendocino, California. MCS data were collected to characterize quaternary deforma
Expanding Pacific Exploration and Research
Less than 20% of the world's oceans have been explored. A global initiative seeks to change that, by pledging to complete detailed mapping of 10% of the seafloor by the year 2030. The United States is contributing to this effort in part through a collaborative team of federal, state, and nongovernment organizations to map, explore, and characterize waters along the US Pacific coast...
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Date published: June 22, 2020Earthquakes, Landslides, and Tsunamis: Mapping Geohazards in the Cascadia Subduction Zone
The geologic research and mapping in the offshore areas is foundational to understanding how to manage resources and improve public safety in subduction zone areas.
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Date published: June 22, 2020Special Issue of Sound Waves Focuses on Deep-Sea Research
2019 was a big year for deep-sea expeditions, and USGS was pleased to be a partner supporting our Nation in advancing our knowledge about these remote and unexplored areas of the Earth. In honor of National Ocean Month, we highlight USGS research from the deep sea.
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Date published: June 22, 2020EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems - Interagency Collaborative Efforts Explore Deep Ocean Areas
As state and national interest in offshore renewable energy development and substantial commercial and recreational fishing activities grows, managing offshore habitats becomes increasingly challenging. In response, USGS and BOEM have joined NOAA and several non-Federal partners to initiate...
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