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Illustration looking at oceanic plate subducting below another with a volcano on it.
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Subduction Zone Science

Subduction Zone Science

Most of the world’s earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the continuous motions of the many tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s outer shell. The most powerful of these natural hazards occur in subduction zones, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another. Explore this collection of resources related to subduction zone science and research.

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Illustration looking at oceanic plate subducting below another with a volcano on it.
link

Subduction Zone Science

Subduction Zone Science

Most of the world’s earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the continuous motions of the many tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s outer shell. The most powerful of these natural hazards occur in subduction zones, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another. Explore this collection of resources related to subduction zone science and research.

Filter Total Items: 357
Data Release
Collage of images of an earthquake, scientists in flood with instruments, a volcano erupting, and seismic illustration.

Composite multibeam bathymetry surface and data sources of the central Cascadia Margin offshore Oregon

Center News
Methane seeping on the Virginia margin just shallower than the limit for gas hydrate stability.

Methane Seep Distribution in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Charts or Graphs
Regional overview map of the Cascadia convergent margin with the locations of methane seeps

Regional overview map of the Cascadia convergent margin with the locations of methane seeps

Charts or Graphs
Figure showing cross-sections of the southern Cascadia margin, showing the subsurface structure of the outer arc high

Cross-sections of the southern Cascadia margin, showing the subsurface structure of the outer arc high

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Diving deeper into seep distribution along the Cascadia Convergent Margin, USA

Data Release
Collage of images of an earthquake, scientists in flood with instruments, a volcano erupting, and seismic illustration.

Geochemistry of authigenic carbonates from Cascadia Margin

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Slip deficit rates on southern Cascadia faults resolved with viscoelastic earthquake cycle modeling of geodetic deformation

Illustrations
Map illustration of the seafloor off the continental coastline shows all of the regions and tracklines of recent fieldwork.

Cascadia fieldwork map

Featured Films and Shorts
Image of researchers labeling a sediment core aboard a research vessel

Collecting Sediment Cores from the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Charts or Graphs
A map shows relief of a long stretch of continental margin with features on land and in the ocean labeled with lines and words.

Cascadia megathrust fault map

Research
Colorfully shaded map of the seafloor showing the many unique canyons created by nearby rivers.

Cascadia Subduction Zone Database

Data Release
Collage of images of an earthquake, scientists in flood with instruments, a volcano erupting, and seismic illustration.

High-resolution multichannel sparker seismic-reflection and chirp sub-bottom data acquired along the Cascadia margin during USGS field activity 2019-024-FA

Illustrations
Colorfully shaded map of the seafloor showing the many unique canyons created by nearby rivers.

Topography and Bathymetry of Southern Cascadia

Photography
Blue green mountain river lined with steep rock walls and evergreens in the distance. Equipment installed in the sheer wall.

Quartzville Creek near Cascadia Oregon

Data Visualization
Collage of vessel, glacier, mineral, and scientist testing substances in pipets.

Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Impacts of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake on water levels and wetlands of the lower Columbia River and Estuary

Center News
Sunset with the jumbo piston core on its track system on the aft deck

Research Expedition Collects Cores, Geophysical Data from Cascadia Subduction Zone

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Volcano, earthquake, and tsunami hazards of the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Data Access
map of offshore Oregon and Washington with many criss-crossing lines

Cascadia Subduction Zone Database

Project
A map illustration of the seafloor off of a coastal area, that shows the features like submarine canyons and depth.

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Data Release
Collage of images of an earthquake, scientists in flood with instruments, a volcano erupting, and seismic illustration.

Methane seep locations derived from water-column acoustic backscatter data collected along Cascadia Margin offshore Oregon and Northern California, 2018-2021

Data Release
Collage of images of an earthquake, scientists in flood with instruments, a volcano erupting, and seismic illustration.

Cascadia subduction zone database: compilation of published datasets relevant to Cascadia subduction zone earthquake hazards and tectonics (2022)

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Cataloging tectonic tremor energy radiation in the Cascadia subduction zone

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Correlation of porosity variations and rheological transitions on the southern Cascadia megathrust

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Mass wasting along the Cascadia subduction zone: Implications for abyssal turbidite sources and the earthquake record

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Ensemble ShakeMaps for magnitude 9 earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Dynamically triggered changes of plate interface coupling in Southern Cascadia

Project
Illustration model of the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Margin-wide geological and geophysical synthesis to understand the recurrence and hazards of great subduction zone earthquakes in Cascadia

Photography
Image of researchers labeling a sediment core aboard a research vessel

Cover image for Cascadia Subduction Zone coring video

publication
image of publications layered on a wooden table

Earthquake forewarning in the Cascadia region