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Earthquake Science Center

The Earthquake Science Center has been the flagship research center of the USGS in the western United States for more than 50 years. It is the largest USGS research center in the West and houses extensive laboratories, scientific infrastructure, and research facilities.

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Earthquake Science Center Seminars

USGS logo and EQ Seminar Series

Seminars typically take place at 10:30 AM Wednesdays in the Rambo Auditorium (main USGS Conference Room). The USGS Campus is located at 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA.

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Earthquake Science Center Campus Video

man in front of slideshow presentation

This short, 7-minute video gives an overview of the USGS Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park, California. It briefly introduces you to the San Francisco Bay Area, shows the campus and facilities, and includes interviews with scientists.

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Handbooks to Help You Prepare for an Earthquake

Cartoon sketch of house on grassy hill

USGS handbooks that describe the threat posed by earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay region and explain how you can prepare for, survive, and recover from these inevitable events.

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News

Ozette Lake: A natural seismograph along the northern Cascadia Subduction Zone (Video)

Ozette Lake: A natural seismograph along the northern Cascadia Subduction Zone (Video)

Earthquake swarms in California: What’s the difference between magmatic and tectonic? 

Earthquake swarms in California: What’s the difference between magmatic and tectonic? 

Even small lakes can tell big earthquake stories in the Yellowstone region

Even small lakes can tell big earthquake stories in the Yellowstone region

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Publications

Estimating aftershock risk for entry into earthquake-damaged buildings Estimating aftershock risk for entry into earthquake-damaged buildings

We present a simple method to estimate the risk of experiencing strong shaking from aftershocks during entry into earthquake-damaged buildings. We compute wait times until the probability of strong ground shaking from aftershocks reaches a predefined risk threshold; for example, a 0.4 percent probability of experiencing Modified Mercalli Intensity 7 or greater shaking during the planned...
Authors
Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Alan J. Poulos
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Fully contained laboratory earthquakes: The effect of asperity aspect ratio and free surfaces Fully contained laboratory earthquakes: The effect of asperity aspect ratio and free surfaces

Corner frequency (fc) and seismic moment (M0) are key parameters derived from seismic signals that are used to characterize earthquake stress drop, rupture area, and slip. These parameters are also affected by fault geometry and boundary conditions. However, the systematic study of these effects in laboratory settings has been challenging. This study presents laboratory earthquake...
Authors
Sara Beth Cebry, Jun Young Song, Gregory C. McLaskey
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

CRESCENT earthquake dynamic rupture, earthquake cycle, and tsunami code verification platform CRESCENT earthquake dynamic rupture, earthquake cycle, and tsunami code verification platform

Physics-based simulations are critical for understanding natural hazards. The increasing complexity of numerical codes requires benchmark exercises to verify that different computational methods yield consistent results when solving the same governing equations. Here, we present an open-access web platform designed for the verification of earthquake dynamic rupture, seismic cycle, and...
Authors
Loic Bachelot, Fabian Kutschera, Michael Barall, Brittany Erickson, Eric Dunham, Alice-Agnes Gabriel, Ruth A. Harris, Shuo Ma, Amanda M. Thomas, Wenqiang Zhang
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center
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