What are the earthquake hazards/risks where I live?
Determining your risk with regard to earthquakes, or more precisely shaking from earthquakes, isn't as simple as finding the nearest fault. The chances of experiencing shaking from an earthquake and/or having property damage is dependent on many different factors. The National Hazard Maps use all available data to estimate the chances of shaking (of different strengths and frequencies) across the U.S., but a probability is the best anyone can do.
Currently, the best way for you to gather information about your earthquake risk is to select your state from the list on Earthquake Information by State (scroll down page a bit) and investigate the information provided under each link for your area. The USGS is not able to advise you regarding any individual issues, but we do make available all the information we have in order for you or your professional representative to make an informed decision.
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How do I get earthquake hazard maps for locations outside of the U.S.?
How are engineers working to make roads and buildings safer?
What is the USGS doing to mitigate and respond to earthquake hazards?
Can the National Seismic Hazard Maps be used as an earthquake forecast tool for the near future?
What is the probability that an earthquake is a foreshock to a larger earthquake?
Are earthquake probabilities or forecasts the same as prediction?
What is the probability that an earthquake will occur in the Los Angeles Area? In the San Francisco Bay area?
How do I decide whether or not to get earthquake insurance?
How do earthquakes affect buildings?
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How will my house hold up in an earthquake? Can the USGS send someone out to evaluate my property?
What is seismic hazard? What is a seismic hazard map? How are they made? How are they used? Why are there different maps, and which one should I use?
UCERF3: A new earthquake forecast for California's complex fault system
With innovations, fresh data, and lessons learned from recent earthquakes, scientists have developed a new earthquake forecast model for California, a region under constant threat from potentially damaging events. The new model, referred to as the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, or "UCERF" (http://www.WGCEP.org/UCERF3),...
Field, Edward H.
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Response
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Contributors: Dart, Richard; McCarthy, Jill; McCallister, Natasha; Williams, Robert A.
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This handbook provides information about the threat posed by earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region and explains how you can prepare for, survive, and recover from these inevitable events. If you live or work in the region, you need to know why you should be concerned with earthquakes, what you can expect during and after a quake, and what...
The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program - investing in a safer future
Filson, John R.; McCarthy, Jill; Ellsworth, William L.; Zoback, Mary Lou; Stauffer, Peter H.; Hendley, James W.
ANSS-Advanced National Seismic System
Benz, Harley M.; Filson, John; Arabasz, Walter; Gee, Lind; Wald, Lisa
USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed new probabilistic seismic hazard maps for the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. These hazard maps form the basis of the probabilistic component of the design maps used in the 1997 edition of the NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and Other Structures...
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East vs West Coast Earthquakes
Why was an earthquake in Virginia felt at more than twice the distance than a similar-sized earthquake in California? The answer is one that many people may not realize. Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains can cause noticeable ground shaking at much farther distances than comparably-sized earthquakes in the West.
Assessing Critical Infrastructure Damage After Earthquakes
Early on the morning of August 24, 2014, Loren Turner was awoken by clattering window blinds, a moving bed, and the sound of water splashing out of his backyard pool. He experienced what is now named the “South Napa Earthquake.”
Usability Testing for the National Seismic Hazard Maps
Usability Testing for the National Seismic Hazard Maps
New Audiences, New Products for the National Seismic Hazard Maps
New Audiences, New Products for the National Seismic Hazard Maps
California Can Learn From Recent Large Earthquakes
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Earthquake Hazard Maps Show How the Nation Shakes with Quakes
Friday's magnitude-5.2 earthquake in southern Illinois is a reminder that earthquakes are a national hazard.
PubTalk 1/2018 — ShakeAlert: Path to West Coast EQ Early Warning
Title: ShakeAlert: The Path to West Coast Earthquake Early Warning ... how a few seconds can save lives and property
- The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system will begin limited operations this year.
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USGS Forecast for Ground Shaking Intensity from Earthquakes in 2017
USGS map displaying intensity of potential ground shaking from natural and human-induced earthquakes. There is a small chance (one percent) that ground shaking intensity will occur at this level or higher. There is a greater chance (99 percent) that ground shaking will be lower than what is displayed in these maps.
Damage in Cushing, Oklahoma from the Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake in 2016
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Damage from South Napa Earthquake
Damaged unreinforced masonry building on Main Street in downtown Napa, California. Photograph credit: Erol Kalkan, USGS
2014 South Napa Earthquake in California
Pavement buckling and tented sidewalk resulting from the South Napa Earthquake. Photograph credit: Thomas Holzer, USGS
USGS Forecast for Damage from Natural and Induced Earthquakes in 2016
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1964 Alaskan Earthquake Damage
Damage from the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake. Credit: USGS
East vs West Coast Earthquakes
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Eastern Earthquakes
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