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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

Volcano Watch — Episode 43, new fountain height record and tephra fallout on communities

Volcano Watch — Episode 43, new fountain height record and tephra fallout on communities

Photo & Video Chronology — March 10 & 11, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 43 eruption and fallout

Photo & Video Chronology — March 10 & 11, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 43 eruption and fallout

USGS Releases Global 3D Archive of Coral Reef Cores to Support Climate and Coastal Research

USGS Releases Global 3D Archive of Coral Reef Cores to Support Climate and Coastal Research

Publications

Constraining source and path effects of large magnitude earthquakes using ground motion simulations Constraining source and path effects of large magnitude earthquakes using ground motion simulations

The purpose of this study is to use ground‐motion simulations to investigate ways in which source and path effects for large‐magnitude earthquakes can be represented in nonergodic ground‐motion models (GMMs). To achieve this, we designed a ground‐motion study in the San Francisco Bay Area that includes earthquakes with a broad range of magnitudes distributed uniformly on a fault plane...
Authors
Xiaofeng Meng, Robert Graves, Christine A Goulet

Site response models based on geometric parameters for southern California sedimentary basins Site response models based on geometric parameters for southern California sedimentary basins

Site response in sedimentary basins is influenced by complex three-dimensional (3D) features, including trapping of seismic waves, focusing of seismic energy and basin resonance. Current ground motion models (GMMs) incorporate basin effects using one-dimensional parameters like VS30 and shear wave velocity isosurface depths, which are limited in capturing lateral and 3D effects. To...
Authors
Rashid Shams, Chukwuebuka C. Nweke, Grace Alexandra Parker

Science

American Samoa Mapping Project

USGS scientists are leading a sampling effort to the Samoan Basin, offshore of American Samoa. This work is part of an interagency supported three-month hydrograph survey project led by NOAA and in partnership with BOEM.
American Samoa Mapping Project

American Samoa Mapping Project

USGS scientists are leading a sampling effort to the Samoan Basin, offshore of American Samoa. This work is part of an interagency supported three-month hydrograph survey project led by NOAA and in partnership with BOEM.
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Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)

Software for calculating positional boundary change over time The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 6 is a standalone application that calculates shoreline or boundary change over time. The GIS of a user’s choice is used to prepare the data for DSAS. Like previous versions, DSAS v.6 enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from multiple historical shoreline positions...
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)

Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)

Software for calculating positional boundary change over time The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 6 is a standalone application that calculates shoreline or boundary change over time. The GIS of a user’s choice is used to prepare the data for DSAS. Like previous versions, DSAS v.6 enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from multiple historical shoreline positions...
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2025 M7.0 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Snow Avalanches

A M7.0 oblique-slip earthquake initiated about 10 km below the Hubbard Glacier in the St. Elias Mountains about 88 km north of Yakutat, Alaska, at approximately 11:40am AKST (1:40pm YST) on December 6, 2025. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ground Failure product estimated that landslides triggered by this earthquake would likely be significant in number and/or spatial extent. This was confirmed...
2025 M7.0 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Snow Avalanches

2025 M7.0 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Snow Avalanches

A M7.0 oblique-slip earthquake initiated about 10 km below the Hubbard Glacier in the St. Elias Mountains about 88 km north of Yakutat, Alaska, at approximately 11:40am AKST (1:40pm YST) on December 6, 2025. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ground Failure product estimated that landslides triggered by this earthquake would likely be significant in number and/or spatial extent. This was confirmed...
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