Earthquake Hazards Program

Starting March 11, 2021, ShakeAlert®-powered earthquake early warning alerts will be available for delivery directly to wireless devices in Oregon. In May 2021, Washington state will follow suit and complete the ShakeAlert public alerting rollout across the entire West Coast. California enabled ShakeAlert-powered alerts in October 2019. 

The San Fernando earthquake struck Southern California 50 years ago, killing 64 people and costing over $500 million in damages. The quake prompted federal, state and local action to reduce earthquake risks and bolster public safety.

Scientists rely on seismometers and eyewitness accounts to identify an earthquake’s location, time and magnitude. A new study explores how the latter can be limited by socioeconomic factors, which can create biases in datasets that scientists use to characterize seismic hazards and coordinate emergency response.  

A lone solar panel in the middle of California’s largest national forest is powering a seismometer able to detect Earth’s vibrations, a piece of the puzzle necessary to help protect life and property by providing critical seconds of warning that an earthquake is occurring and shaking is imminent.  

The USGS has up-to-date details on the December 29, 2020 event.

The USGS launched a new social media account (@USGS_Quakes) run by earthquake scientists and staff to "provide context for significant earthquakes and insights into seismic science."

We introduce the USGS Natural Hazards newsletter. In this issue: A new geonarrative about the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake, Potential landslide in Alaska, Subduction Zone Science, Post-wildfire debris flow assessments, new @USGS_Quakes Twitter account, Mapping faults in Puerto Rico, Coastal Change Top Story, Photo Round Up and more!

A new geonarrative (Esri Story Map) summarizes the USGS response and findings after the M6.4 on July 4 and M7.1 on July 6, 2019 in Searles Valley, Southern California.

The earth isn’t the only thing shaking after an earthquake.

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!