Earthquake Hazards Program

The USGS has up-to-date details on the October 30th, 2020 event. 

When the ground shakes, what do you do? ShakeOut 2020:  Drop, Cover, and Hold On!

A new digital geologic map of the greater Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metropolitan area of Oregon and Washington being released today will support emergency response, conservation, agriculture and recreation.

A swarm of earthquakes southeast of the Salton Sea, in the Brawley seismic zone, began on Sept. 30, 2020.

Forecast last updated October 7, 2020 at 8:00am PDT.

Natural hazards have the potential to impact a majority of Americans every year.  USGS science provides part of the foundation for emergency preparedness whenever and wherever disaster strikes.

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program is pleased to announce that Bill Barnhart has been selected as the Earthquake Hazards Program Office Assistant Coordinator.

Reduced activity for the swarm of earthquakes beneath the Salton Sea that began on August 10, 2020.
Last update: 08/14/2020 12pm Pacific

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Sparta, North Carolina August 9, 2020 at 8:07 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Seismic instruments indicate the earthquake originated at a depth of about 2.3 miles. The USGS currently estimates there is a low likelihood of casualties or damage from this earthquake.

Study of New Offshore Fault Mapping Related to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake:  In 2019, for the first time ever, scientists comprehensively mapped a previously overlooked offshore section of the San Andreas Fault system which may provide insight on how the fault could rupture in the future.

In a win-win situation for both seismologists and space physicists, a cheap magnetometer at a seismic station can result in better seismic data for earthquakes and also more geomagnetic data in real time for monitoring space weather.

Read the new Science for Everyone article: Auroras...

Earthquakes can be unsettling.