Images

Global view of three locations: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and American Samoa. J.A. Herrick (2023)

EARTHQUAKES: WHAT YOU FEEL

EARTHQUAKE INTENSITY

Although most economic loss is concentrated along the west coast, the distribution of relative earthquake risk, as measured by the Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratio (AELR), is spread throughout the country and it reinforces the fact that earthquakes are a national problem.

Map showing distribution of average annualized earthquake loss by region. The high concentration of loss in California and the West Coast is consistent with that region’s high seismic hazard, significant population, and building exposure. 

The large HTHH volcanic explosion created fast low-frequency pressure waves that penetrated about 3.1 miles/5 kilometers into the shallow crust (shown in yellow). Wind and small explosions (shown in blue) create shorter pressure waves that only penetrate down about 328 feet/100 meters.

The waveforms of the ground motion recording and the pressure sensor recording from a station with both types of instruments (see second image above) match up, indicating that the pressure waves are causing the ground (crust) to deflect.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. Tyler Storm packs up for a shipment back home.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. This taxidermied polar bear was just inside the doors to the chow hall.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. Tyler Storm drilling a hole in the concrete pier for a new accelerometer installation.

In October 2022 GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world, Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago.USGS contractor, Jared Anderson, relieving the bell jar pressure to remove STS-1 seismo

In October 2022 GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world, Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. The vault for the IU-KBS seismic station is 15 feet below.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. Reindeer graze in the snow near the seismic station vault.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. The last leg of the trip was in a smaller Dornier Do 228 airplane.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. Polar Bear Safety Information sign outside building.

GSN field engineers from the Albuquerque Seismic Lab visited the northernmost town in the world Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway) on their way north to GSN station IU-KBS for a station upgrade. GSN station IU-KBS is located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago. A sign reminding people of the polar bear danger just outside the building.

A trench across a set of channels laterally offset by the Emerson Fault in the 1992 Landers earthquake. The vertical scarp from the 1992 earthquake is visible behind the trench across the center of the image.

USGS Geologist S. Hecker examines sediments exposed in excavation along the Rodgers Creek fault near Windsor, California.

Alex Hatem, Jessie Jobe and Nadine Reitman make observations in a trench across Idaho’s Sawtooth fault, September, 2022.

Alex Hatem oversees trench excavation across the Sawtooth fault near Stanley Idaho, September, 2022.

USGS Geologists B. Philibosian and S. DeLong examine faulted sediment exposed in an uplifted marine terrace near Point Arena, California.