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USGS prepares for Hurricane Ian

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Hurricane Ian expected to cause significant coastal change along Florida's Gulf Coast

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Maps and Imagery for Hurricane Response

USGS geospatial data, tools, maps, imagery, and elevation data can aid local, state, and federal agencies in making decisions that can protect lives and property

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New Nationwide Strategy Brings Scientists, Communities Together to Help Reduce Landslide Risks

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Redwood Tree Stumps Offer Clues to Past Earthquakes

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Earthquake Detected! Here's How You Can Prepare

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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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News

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USGS is forecasting Ian could cause significant coastal change in South Carolina, Georgia

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Coastal Resilience Project with USGS, Partners Receives Nearly $1 Million in Funds From NOAA

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New Nationwide Strategy Brings Scientists, Communities Together to Help Reduce Landslide Risks

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Publications

What to expect when you are expecting earthquake early warning

We present a strategy for earthquake early warning (EEW) alerting that focuses on providing users with a target level of performance for their shaking level of interest (for example, ensuring that users receive warnings for at least 95 per cent of the occurrences of that shaking level). We explore the factors that can affect the accuracy of EEW shaking forecasts including site conditions (which ca
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Earthquake Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center

National strategy for landslide loss reduction

Executive SummaryLandslide hazards are present in all 50 States and most U.S. territories, and they affect lives, property, infrastructure, and the environment. Landslides are the downslope move­ment of earth materials under the force of gravity. They can occur without any obvious trigger. Widespread or severe land­slide events are often driven by such hazards as hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic
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Natural Hazards

GPS velocity field of the Western United States for the 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model update

Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity solutions of the western United States (WUS) are compiled from several sources of field networks and data processing centers for the 2023 U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM). These solutions include both survey and continuous‐mode GPS velocity measurements. I follow the data processing procedure of Parsons et al. (2013) for the Unifo
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Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center
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Science

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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Caves

The USGS Astrogeology Science Center conducts research on caves. In particular, we are interested in the physics of caves, which involves the application of the principles of heat transfer, mass transfer and meteorology to understand how cave climates evolve. We are also interested in caves on other planetary bodies and moons, and how they may be used as resources for future missions.
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Core Science Systems, Natural Hazards, Astrogeology Science Center
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Caves

The USGS Astrogeology Science Center conducts research on caves. In particular, we are interested in the physics of caves, which involves the application of the principles of heat transfer, mass transfer and meteorology to understand how cave climates evolve. We are also interested in caves on other planetary bodies and moons, and how they may be used as resources for future missions.
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Photograph of four airgun arrays towed behind R/V Marcus G. Langseth.

USGS Law of the Sea

The USGS Law of the Sea project helps to determine the outer limits of the extended continental shelf (ECS) of the United States. The ECS is that portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. It is an important maritime zone that holds many resources and vital habitats for marine life. Its size may exceed one million square kilometers, encompassing areas in the Arctic, Atlantic...
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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USGS Law of the Sea

The USGS Law of the Sea project helps to determine the outer limits of the extended continental shelf (ECS) of the United States. The ECS is that portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. It is an important maritime zone that holds many resources and vital habitats for marine life. Its size may exceed one million square kilometers, encompassing areas in the Arctic, Atlantic...
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View of beach from roof top, edge of roof in foreground, pier extending from beach out over water in center, park in background.

Remote Sensing Coastal Change

We use remote-sensing technologies—such as aerial photography, satellite imagery, structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and lidar (laser-based surveying)—to measure coastal change along U.S. shorelines.
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Remote Sensing Coastal Change

We use remote-sensing technologies—such as aerial photography, satellite imagery, structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and lidar (laser-based surveying)—to measure coastal change along U.S. shorelines.
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