Images

Geologists with USGS, the California Geological Survey (CGS) and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS) worked together in response to the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence in California that occurred July 4-6, 2019. The earthquakes were large enough that the fault rupture reached the earth’s surface.

USGS scientists Beth Haddon (left) and Jaime Delano (right) measuring an offset road at the site of the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence rupture. Photo credit: Chris DuRoss, USGS

USGS scientist Jessie Thompson Jobe collects and records information on earthquake surface ruptures observed along a roadway following the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Photo credit: Ryan Gold (USGS)

USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake.  USGS photograph. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS

USGS scientist Jaime Delano, observes a sand blow caused by liquefaction during the M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. Photo credit: Chris DuRoss

USGS Geophysicists Elizabeth Cochran and Nick VanDerElst install a seismometer on the base Photo credit: Ben Brooks, USGS

 Research scientist Meagan Gonneea and USGS intern Angela Trejo survey the Jones River in Kingston, MA. Removal of a dam across the Jones River began July 15, 2019, as a first step to restore river habitat, which is particularly critical for herring passage from the sea to inland lakes for spawning.

Kate Scharer examining striations along fault scarp while completing GPS survey of fault rupture.  Here the fault has about 2.6 m of horizontal displacement and 0.5 m of vertical.  The rake of the striations is 47 degrees.  Photo credit: Jamie Delano, USGS

The SQUID-5, or a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras is a towed surface vehicle with an onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and 5 downward-looking cameras with overlapping views of the seafloor.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Thursday, July 11, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

Group of sulfur-depositing fumaroles overlook the pond of water in Halema‘uma‘u. USGS photo by D. Swanson, 08-14-2019.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Thursday, July 11, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

Kate Scharer (USGS) provides CO CAPT Paul Dale (Navy) with the field mapping team’s initial product, showing the surface fault rupture at NAWSCL as well as the temporarily deployed seismic and GPS sensors that were rapidly deployed. Contributions of field data from within the base were from CGS & USGS, and from outside the base were from Univ.

Two portable sensors: a strong motion sensor (to record strong shaking that can be felt) and a broadband sensor (to record weak motion for detecting small earthquakes) buried into the ground to detect earthquakes. These stations can be quickly deployed and send real-time data back to the USGS via cellular telemetry immediately after they are installed. 

Kate Scharer (USGS) provides CO CAPT Paul Dale (Navy) with the field mapping team’s initial product, showing the surface fault rupture at NAWSCL as well as the temporarily deployed seismic and GPS sensors that were rapidly deployed. Contributions of field data from within the base were from CGS & USGS, and from outside the base were from Univ.

Fault rupture crosses dirt road, with California Geologial Survey vehicles for scale. Displacement at this location is primarily normal (vertical). Photograph taken near the northern end of the rupture resulting from the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake.

Oblique photograph showing surface faulting from the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake. The dirt track (center) is right-laterally offset approximately 2.5 m (~8 ft).

USGS Research Geologists Christopher DuRoss measures surface displacement resulting from the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake.

USGS Earthquake Science Center Mobile Laser Scanning truck operated by Ben Brooks and Todd Ericksen scanning the surface rupture near the zone of maximum surface displacement of the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake.