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Earthquake Hazards

The USGS monitors and reports on earthquakes, assesses earthquake impacts and hazards, and conducts targeted research on the causes and effects of earthquakes. We undertake these activities as part of the larger National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), a four-agency partnership established by Congress.

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Latest Earthquakes

Latest Earthquakes Interface

Latest earthquakes map and list (past 24 hours, M2.5+) from the ANSS (Advanced National Seismic System).

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Listening to the Earth at the South Pole

circle with map of Antarctica at South Pole, and US map with circle on it

If you want to listen to the softest whispers of the Earth, the South Pole is where you want to be. Seismic station, QSPA has been allowing us to eavesdrop on the Earth for over six decades, and it may soon gain the equivalent of hearing aids.

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Alaska Peninsula Earthquake Sequences of 2020-2021

map of Alaska area with 2020-2021 earthquakes, showing circles for earthquake locations

Explore this interactive geonarrative summary of the earthquake sequence in the Alaska Peninsula during 2020 and 2021.

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News

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The Monitor newsletter - Vol. 5 | Issue Winter 2022

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New USGS Model Shows Earthquake Hazard Probability for Hawaiian Islands

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New USGS Research Highlights the Use of Earthquake Science for Assessing Risk to Gas Pipelines

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Publications

20th-century strain accumulation on the Lesser Antilles megathrust based on coral microatolls

The seismic potential of the Lesser Antilles megathrust remains poorly known, despite the potential hazard it poses to numerous island populations and its proximity to the Americas. As it has not produced any large earthquakes in the instrumental era, the megathrust is often assumed to be aseismic. However, historical records of great earthquakes in the 19th century and earlier, which were most li
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Earthquake Science Center

Modeling the occurrence of M ∼ 5 caldera collapse-related earthquakes in Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i

During the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and caldera collapse, M ∼ 5 caldera collapse earthquakes occurred almost daily from mid-May until the beginning of August. While caldera collapses happen infrequently, the collapse-related seismicity damaged nearby structures, and so these events should be included in a complete seismic hazard assessment. Here, we present an approach to forecast the seismic hazard
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Automated detection of clipping in broadband earthquake records

Because the amount of available ground‐motion data has increased over the last decades, the need for automated processing algorithms has also increased. One difficulty with automated processing is to screen clipped records. Clipping occurs when the ground‐motion amplitude exceeds the dynamic range of the linear response of the instrument. Clipped records in which the amplitude exceeds the dynamic
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Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center
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