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USGS Remote Sensing Data Tracks Coastal Erosion from California Storms

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Páginas bilingües resaltan la ciencia de peligros naturales del USGS en Puerto Rico

Bilingual webpages highlight USGS natural hazards science in Puerto Rico

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USGS Mauna Loa Response and Accomplishments

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Using Distant Seismometers to Monitor and Analyze Volcanic Eruptions

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Mapping the Entire Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault System

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Teaching Software to Track Coastal Change

"Human-in-the-Loop Segmentation of Earth Imagery"

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A Field Guide for Frights: Beware these Seven Wicked Wonders of the West

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Natural Hazards

Every year in the United States, natural hazards threaten lives and livelihoods and result in billions of dollars in damage. We work with many partners to monitor, assess, and conduct targeted research on a wide range of natural hazards so that policymakers and the public have the understanding they need to enhance preparedness, response, and resilience.

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Reducing Risk

Venn Diagram: Hazards and Society

USGS scientists develop new products to make science available to the public, emergency managers, and decision-makers. These efforts increase public safety and reduce risk and economic losses caused by natural hazards.

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Subduction Zone Science

Simple illustration of the various parts of a subduction zone where one oceanic plate is thrust beneath another.

The most powerful earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions occur in subduction zones, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another.

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Columbia River Gorge Landslides - New Interactive Geonarrative

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USGS Remote Sensing Data Tracks Coastal Erosion from California Storms

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Understanding Extreme Wave Events for Coastal Adaptation

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Publications

Revising supraglacial rock avalanche magnitudes and frequencies in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

The frequency of large supraglacial landslides (rock avalanches) occurring in glacial environments is thought to be increasing due to feedbacks with climate warming and permafrost degradation. However, it is difficult to (i) test this; (ii) establish cause–effect relationships; and (iii) determine associated lag-times, due to both temporal and spatial biases in detection rates. Here we applied the
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Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Damage amplification during repetitive seismic waves in mechanically loaded rocks

Cycles of stress build-up and release are inherent to tectonically active planets. Such stress oscillations impart strain and damage, prompting mechanically loaded rocks and materials to fail. Here, we investigate, under uniaxial conditions, damage accumulation and weakening caused by time-dependent creep (at 60, 65, and 70% of the rocks’ expected failure stress) and repeating stress oscillations
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Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Comparison of ventifact orientations and recent wind direction indicators on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars

Wind-abraded rocks and aeolian bedforms have been observed at the Mars 2020 Perseverance landing site, providing evidence for recent and older wind directions. This study reports orientations of aeolian features measured in Perseverance images to infer formative wind directions. It compares these measurements with orbital observations, climate model predictions, and wind data acquired by the Mars
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Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center
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Science

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a pile of large boulders and tree parts up against a guardrail next to a road

Columbia River Gorge Landslides

Extreme rainfall during two atmospheric river events in January 2021 and January 2022 triggered a series of debris flows in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. The flows had significant impacts, including multiple highway closures and one fatality. This story map highlights rainfall data and observations of debris flow deposits by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)...
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Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center
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Columbia River Gorge Landslides

Extreme rainfall during two atmospheric river events in January 2021 and January 2022 triggered a series of debris flows in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. The flows had significant impacts, including multiple highway closures and one fatality. This story map highlights rainfall data and observations of debris flow deposits by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)...
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Locations at Which Paleoseismological Studies Have Been Completed Along Principal Faults in the San Francisco Bay Area

Earthquake Geology and Paleoseismology Overview

The goals of USGS earthquake geology and paleoseismology research are 1) to make primary observations and develop ideas to improve our understanding of the geologic expression of active faulting, and 2) to acquire data that will improve the National Seismic Hazard Model. Geological research allows us to characterize faults, including the identification of secondary seismogenic structures, to study...
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards
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Earthquake Geology and Paleoseismology Overview

The goals of USGS earthquake geology and paleoseismology research are 1) to make primary observations and develop ideas to improve our understanding of the geologic expression of active faulting, and 2) to acquire data that will improve the National Seismic Hazard Model. Geological research allows us to characterize faults, including the identification of secondary seismogenic structures, to study...
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person standing in desert next to surface expression of fault

Intermountain West Geology

The Intermountain West contains some of the fastest growing urban centers in the United States, and several are exposed to a substantial level of seismic hazard. It is critical to accurately quantify this hazard, and ultimately, the associated risk.
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards
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Intermountain West Geology

The Intermountain West contains some of the fastest growing urban centers in the United States, and several are exposed to a substantial level of seismic hazard. It is critical to accurately quantify this hazard, and ultimately, the associated risk.
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