Earthquake Hazards Program
Science for Everyone
Science briefs about new earthquake research written for non-scientists.
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Auroras and Earthquakes: Strange Companions
In 1722 and 1723 a London clockmaker, George Graham, observed daily and consistent variations on one of his instruments, a “Needle upon the Pin” (a compass), for which he had no explanation. Swedish scientists obtained some of Graham’s instruments to record what is now known to be the variations in Earth’s magnetic field. In 1741, they noticed a significant deflection of the compass needle...
The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning
Residents in California, Oregon, and Washington have been told that earthquake early warning (EEW) is at their doorstep and will alert them to the shaking from an earthquake before it arrives. Some media reports have said there will be “up to a minute of warning”. The problem is, for onshore earthquakes these claims are exaggerated, and under some conditions a warning is not scientifically or...
What if the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System Had Been Operating During the M6.9 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake?
How will ShakeAlert® likely perform now on a large earthquake impacting a major urban area? How much warning will you get? To answer this, let’s do a thought experiment...
Earthquake Early Warning – Fine-Tuning for Best Alerts
The goal of an earthquake early warning (EEW) system is to provide an alert to people and automatic systems after an earthquake begins but before the shaking reaches their location. As the USGS and its partners are developing an EEW system, called ShakeAlert®, for the West Coast, the benefits, costs, capabilities, and limitations are being investigated. Two recent studies explored the...
Could the M7.1 Ridgecrest, CA Earthquake Sequence Trigger a Large Earthquake Nearby?
Release Date: SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
Two of the first questions that come to mind for anyone who just felt an earthquake are, “Will there be another one?” and “Will it be larger?”.
Geologic Cracks Record Earthquakes on the Reelfoot Fault in Central U.S.
Release Date: APRIL 25, 2019
New high-resolution lidar data reveals cracks produced from strong shaking in past earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone.
Preserving Historic Earthquake Records and Photos of the Instruments that Recorded Them
Release Date: FEBRUARY 4, 2019
A project to scan a small selection of the film chips of historical earthquake recordings to digital files was started in 1996. In addition to archiving historic data from the early years, the USGS has also worked to archive photos and descriptions of early seismometers.
Collection of 3D Geometries of Global Subduction Zones
Release Date: NOVEMBER 12, 2018
A new picture of the geometry of subducting slabs around the world, the locations of the world’s largest earthquakes.
New Methods for Dating and Sequencing Ancient Earthquakes Along the Wasatch Fault Zone
Release Date: OCTOBER 12, 2018
Complex geologic sites, like those between the fault segments along the Wasatch fault zone in Utah, make the dating and ordering past earthquakes a difficult task. Two new methods were used to make this task easier and to get better results.
A New Map of Rodgers Creek Fault in Sonoma County, California
Release Date: JULY 16, 2018
A new more detailed and higher resolution map of the Rodgers Creek Fault in Sonoma County, California, has been produced using aerial photography and hillshade imagery derived from LiDAR data.
A Possible Cause of Earthquakes in the Continental Interior
Release Date: JUNE 18, 2018
A new map of crustal stress across the U.S. shows that the plate interior stress is variable, with contributions from plate boundary stress, crustal collapse due to gravity, and more local and subtle changes to style, orientation, and earthquake rate.
The Past Holds the Key to the Future of Aftershock Forecasting
Release Date: MAY 7, 2018
The outcomes of past aftershock sequences can be used to describe the range of possibilities for a current sequence.
Untangling Faults at Depth – What Lies Beneath Panamint Valley, California?
Release Date: APRIL 30, 2018
The eastern edge of Panamint Valley,CA has two types of faults that can be seen in the near-surface geology. 150 geophones and a seismic source will help reveal the subsurface picture.
55-Story Tall Building – Before and After Earthquake Retrofit
Release Date: MARCH 26, 2018
A building in Japan was analyzed before and after a seismic retrofit to make it more resilient to shaking.
Washington DC Stone and Brick Buildings Vulnerable to Distant Quakes
Release Date: JANUARY 2, 2018
A new study shows that DC geologic conditions strongly affect earthquake shaking.
Back to the Future on the San Andreas Fault
Release Date: JUNE 1, 2017
Investigating Past Earthquakes to Inform the Future
What does the science say? Where does the information come from? And what does it mean? Investigating past earthquakes to inform the future. Maybe you’ve heard that the “Big One is overdue” on the San Andreas Fault. No one can predict earthquakes, so what does the science really say? Where...
Ground-Truthing After the M4.0 Earthquake in Southern Maine, October 16, 2012
Release Date: DECEMBER 1, 2016
Old-fashioned interviews are compared to Did You Feel It? responses for this earthquake.
M7.8 Nepal Earthquake, 2015 – A Small Push to Mt. Everest
Release Date: OCTOBER 1, 2016
A large shallow earthquake moves Mt. Everest 3 cm southwest.
The "Snow Plow Theory"* of Early-Arriving Tsunamis
Release Date: JUNE 1, 2015
What is a splay fault, and how can they affect tsunamis?
* completely contrived term by this author, not a scientific term or theory
Seismology in the City
Release Date: May 1, 2015
How seismologists can use noise to see under the ground.
How Big and How Frequent Are Earthquakes on the Wasatch Fault?
Release Date: FEBRUARY 1, 2015
Paleoseismology along the Wasatch Fault in Utah is helping to estimate the shaking risk to nearby towns.