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Natural Hazards Mission Area

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.

News

USGS experts responding simultaneously to two major natural hazards

USGS experts responding simultaneously to two major natural hazards

USGS seeking Loma Prieta felt reports from 35-year-old earthquake

USGS seeking Loma Prieta felt reports from 35-year-old earthquake

USGS Coastal Change Experts Warn of Heightened Risks for Florida’s West Coast as Hurricane Milton Approaches in the aftermath of Helene

USGS Coastal Change Experts Warn of Heightened Risks for Florida’s West Coast as Hurricane Milton Approaches in the aftermath of Helene

Publications

Likely ferromagnetic minerals identified by the Perseverance rover and implications for future paleomagnetic analyses of returned Martian samples

Although Mars today does not have a core dynamo, magnetizations in the Martian crust and in meteorites suggest a magnetic field was present prior to 3.7 billion years (Ga) ago. However, the lack of ancient, oriented Martian bedrock samples available on Earth has prevented accurate estimates of the dynamo's intensity, lifetime, and direction. Constraining the nature and lifetime of the dynamo are v
Authors
M.N. Mansbach, T.V. Kizovski, E. L. Scheller, T. Bosak, L. Mandon, B. Horgan, R.C. Wiens, C.D.K. Herd, S. Sharma, J.R. Johnson, Travis S. J. Gabriel, O. Forni, B.P. Weiss

Precariously balanced rocks in northern New York and Vermont, U.S.A.: Ground-motion constraints and implications for fault sources

Precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) and other fragile geologic features have the potential to constrain the maximum intensity of earthquake ground shaking over millennia. Such constraints may be particularly useful in the eastern United States (U.S.), where few earthquake‐source faults are reliably identified, and moderate earthquakes can be felt at great distances due to low seismic attenuation. W
Authors
Devin McPhillips, Thomas L. Pratt

A novel surface energy balance method for thermal inertia studies of terrestrial analogs

Surface thermal inertia derived from satellite imagery offers a valuable tool for remotely mapping the physical structure and water content of planetary regolith. Efforts to quantify thermal inertia using surface temperatures on Earth, however, have consistently yielded large uncertainties and suffered from a lack of reproducibility. Unlike dry or airless bodies, Earth's abundant water and dense a
Authors
Ari Koeppel, Christopher S. Edwards, Lauren A. Edgar, Scott A Nowicki, Kristen A. Bennett, Amber Gullikson, Sylvain Piqueux, Helen A. Eifert, Daphne Chapline, A. Deanne Rogers

Science

M 6.9 October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ended decades of tranquility in the San Francisco Bay region. It was a wakeup call to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that are inevitable in the future. Since 1989, the work of the U.S. Geological Survey and other organizations has improved understanding of the seismic threat in the Bay region, promoted awareness of earthquake hazards, and...
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M 6.9 October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ended decades of tranquility in the San Francisco Bay region. It was a wakeup call to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that are inevitable in the future. Since 1989, the work of the U.S. Geological Survey and other organizations has improved understanding of the seismic threat in the Bay region, promoted awareness of earthquake hazards, and...
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September 17, 2024 Magnetic Disturbance

Space Weather Events of September 16, 2024 - September 17, 2024 22:00 Eastern time
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September 17, 2024 Magnetic Disturbance

Space Weather Events of September 16, 2024 - September 17, 2024 22:00 Eastern time
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Earthquake Response and Investigations

Post-earthquake scientific and engineering investigations are undertaken by the USGS and its partners to capture critical information to understand the causes and impacts of the event, lessons from which can substantially improve the Nation’s resilience after future earthquakes.
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Earthquake Response and Investigations

Post-earthquake scientific and engineering investigations are undertaken by the USGS and its partners to capture critical information to understand the causes and impacts of the event, lessons from which can substantially improve the Nation’s resilience after future earthquakes.
Learn More
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