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David J Wald

Dr. Wald is a Seismologist with the USGS in Golden. He is involved in research, development & operations of several real-time earthquake information systems at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center. He developed and manages “ShakeMap”, “Did You Feel it?”, & is responsible for developing other systems for post-earthquake response & pre-earthquake mitigation, including ShakeCast.

Wald's scientific interests include the characterization of rupture processes from complex recent and historic earthquakes using combined geodetic, teleseismic, and strong motion data; waveform modelling and inversion; analysis of ground motion hazards and site effects; earthquake source physics; and modelling earthquake-induced landslides, liquefaction, and losses, macroseismic intensity, building damage, financial  and human impact, rapid damage and impact assessment, earthquake scenario development and mitigation planning and drills, and communication with the media, public, and emergency managers.

Previously at Caltech, and now at the Colorado School of Mines, Wald has advised dozens of post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate student research projects. Wald directly supervises 10 PhD level scientists and 5 five BS and MS level support staff, and supervises several students. Wald serves on several PhD committees at this time. This research has resulted in more than 450 professional publications that David has authored or co-authored, including journal papers, USGS publication series, conference papers, and published abstracts.

Education:

Post-doctoral Fellow, Geophysics, National Research Council, USGS, Pasadena, 1995

Ph.D., Geophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 1993

M.S., Geophysics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ,  1986

B.S., Geology & Physics, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY, 1984

 

 

 

Honors and Awards

  • 2025 - Alfred E. Alquist Special Recognition Medal of Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

  • 2023 - Presidential Rank Award

  • 2023 - USGS Shoemaker Lifetime Achievement Award in Communications

  • 2023 - American Geophysical Union Fellow

  •  2018—2023 - Editor-in-Chief, Earthquake Spectra

  • 2021 - Joyner Lectureship, Seismological Society of America and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

  • 2015—2017 - Board of Directors, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

  • 2016 - Meritorious Service Award (MSA), Department of the Interior

  • 2015 - Distinguished Lecturer, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

  • 2015—2017 - Board of Directors, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

  • 2009—2011 - Board of Directors, Seismological Society of America

  • 2010 - Superior Service Award (SSA), Department of the Interior

  • 2009 - Frank Press Public Service Award of the Seismological Society of America

  • 2004 - Seismological Society of America’s Distinguished Lecturer

  • 2003 - U.S.G.S. Shoemaker Award. Excellence in Communications

Science and Products

A map of the magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Felt in Puerto Rico showing it hit about six miles offshore on the south side of island

Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment

The USGS “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) is an extremely popular way for members of the public to contribute to earthquake science and earthquake response. DYFI has been in operation for nearly two decades (1999-2019) in the U.S., and for nearly 15 years globally. During that period the amount of data collected is astounding: Over 5 million individual DYFI intensity reports—spanning all...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment

Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment

The USGS “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) is an extremely popular way for members of the public to contribute to earthquake science and earthquake response. DYFI has been in operation for nearly two decades (1999-2019) in the U.S., and for nearly 15 years globally. During that period the amount of data collected is astounding: Over 5 million individual DYFI intensity reports—spanning all magnitude and
Learn More
map of Los Angeles area with different gradational colors

The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning

Release Date: MAY 29, 2020 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...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning

The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning

Release Date: MAY 29, 2020 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...
Learn More
World map showing the global distribution of earthquakes in gray scale.

Future Opportunities in Regional and Global Seismic Network Monitoring and Science

The past decade has seen improvements in computational efficiency, seismic data coverage, and communication technology - driven by societal expectation for timely, accurate information. While aspects of earthquake research have taken advantage of this evolution, the adoption of improvements in earthquake monitoring has not been fully leveraged. In real-time monitoring, earthquakes are
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Future Opportunities in Regional and Global Seismic Network Monitoring and Science

Future Opportunities in Regional and Global Seismic Network Monitoring and Science

The past decade has seen improvements in computational efficiency, seismic data coverage, and communication technology - driven by societal expectation for timely, accurate information. While aspects of earthquake research have taken advantage of this evolution, the adoption of improvements in earthquake monitoring has not been fully leveraged. In real-time monitoring, earthquakes are
Learn More
USGS science for a changing world logo

Operational Earthquake Forecasting – Implementing a Real-Time System for California

It is well know that every earthquake can spawn others (e.g., as aftershocks), and that such triggered events can be large and damaging, as recently demonstrated by L’Aquila, Italy and Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes. In spite of being an explicit USGS strategic-action priority (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1088; page 32), the USGS currently lacks an automated system with which to...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Operational Earthquake Forecasting – Implementing a Real-Time System for California

Operational Earthquake Forecasting – Implementing a Real-Time System for California

It is well know that every earthquake can spawn others (e.g., as aftershocks), and that such triggered events can be large and damaging, as recently demonstrated by L’Aquila, Italy and Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes. In spite of being an explicit USGS strategic-action priority (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1088; page 32), the USGS currently lacks an automated system with which to forecast
Learn More

ShakeMap Atlas V4 and AtlasCat ShakeMap Atlas V4 and AtlasCat

The Atlas of ShakeMaps (~14,100 earthquakes, 1900-2020) provides a consistent and quantitative description of the distribution of shaking intensity for calibrating earthquake loss estimation methodologies, like those used in the USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system. Version 4 of the Atlas includes a vastly expanded compilation of ShakeMaps for...
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

A Global Hybrid Vs30 Map with a Topographic-Slope-Based Default and Regional Map Insets A Global Hybrid Vs30 Map with a Topographic-Slope-Based Default and Regional Map Insets

Time-averaged shear wave velocity over the upper 30 meters of the earth's surface (Vs30) is a key parameter for estimating ground motion amplification as both a predictive and diagnostic tool for earthquake hazards. A first-order approximation of Vs30 is commonly obtained via a topographic slope-based or terrain proxy due to the widely available nature of digital elevation models...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Did You Feel It? Did You Feel It?

Did You Feel It? (DYFI) collects information from people who felt an earthquake and creates maps that show what people experienced and the extent of damage.
By
Earthquake Hazards Program

An Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories An Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories

Earthquake-triggered ground-failure, such as landsliding and liquefaction, can contribute significantly to losses, but our current ability to accurately include them in earthquake hazard analyses is limited. The development of robust and transportable models requires access to numerous inventories of ground failure triggered by earthquakes that span a broad range of terrains, shaking
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Shakemap earthquake scenario: Building Seismic Safety Council 2014 Event Set (BSSC2014) Shakemap earthquake scenario: Building Seismic Safety Council 2014 Event Set (BSSC2014)

This is a catalog of earthquake scenarios, represented as ShakeMaps. A ShakeMap is a USGS product that facilitates communication of earthquake effects by portraying a map of the severity of shaking. Maps of shaking severity are provided in terms of macroseismic intensity, peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and spectral accelerations (at 0.3, 1.0 and 3 sec oscillator periods)...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 169

International macroseismic scale 2025 International macroseismic scale 2025

No abstract available.
Authors
G. Grunthal, R. Musson, J. Schwarz, R. Spencer, David Wald, T. Wenk
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ground motions from finite faults with unknown geometry Ground motions from finite faults with unknown geometry

Earthquake emergency response and loss modeling require accurate models of ground‐motion intensity metrics (IMs), such as those produced by ShakeMap. In the critical minutes and hours after an earthquake, however, knowledge of the earthquake source geometry limits the accuracy of these models, especially in areas where seismic instrumentation is insufficient to constrain the shaking...
Authors
Charles Worden, Eric M. Thompson, Harriet Zoe Yin, David Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Rapid characterization of the 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia earthquake Rapid characterization of the 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia earthquake

The 29 July 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia, earthquake was the sixth largest instrumentally recorded earthquake. This event was seismically well observed at regional and teleseismic distances, but publicly available near‐source data were sparse at the time of the event, presenting unique challenges for rapid source and impact characterization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National...
Authors
Harriet Zoe Yin, Kate E. Allstadt, William D Barnhart, Samantha Ann Clapp, Paul S. Earle, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Alex R. Grant, Matt Herman, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Sara K. McBride, Adam T. Ringler, Max Schneider, Eric M. Thompson, Nicholas J. van der Elst, David Wald, Dun Wang, Charles Worden, William L. Yeck
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ultralong, supershear rupture of the 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake reveals unaccounted risk Ultralong, supershear rupture of the 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake reveals unaccounted risk

The 28 March 2025 moment magnitude (Mw) 7.7 earthquake in Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), ruptured 475 kilometers of the Sagaing Fault, which was more than twice the length predicted by magnitude scaling relationships. Kinematic slip models and observation of a Rayleigh Mach wave that passed through parts of Thailand confirmed that rupture occurred at supershear velocities of greater than 5...
Authors
Dara Elyse Goldberg, William L. Yeck, Catherine Elise Hanagan, James William Atterholt, Haiyang Liam Kehoe, Nadine G. Reitman, William D. Barnhart, David R. Shelly, Alexandra Elise Hatem, David Wald, Paul S. Earle
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Quantitative evaluations of earthquake early warning performance using “Did You Feel It?” and post-alert surveys Quantitative evaluations of earthquake early warning performance using “Did You Feel It?” and post-alert surveys

We examine responses to the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Did You Feel It?” (DYFI) survey and its companion earthquake early warning (EEW) questionnaire to assess the performance of the U.S. ShakeAlert EEW system directly from the alert recipients’ perspectives. ShakeAlert rapidly detects earthquakes and develops alert information, but as official alert delivery partners issue these alerts...
Authors
Jessie K. Saunders, David J. Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

A journey to the center of the USGS National Strong-motion Project processing and beyond A journey to the center of the USGS National Strong-motion Project processing and beyond

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Strong Motion Project (NSMP) has the primary U.S. government responsibility to acquire, process, and disseminate significant strong-motion earthquake ground motion records measured at surficial free-field stations, structures (buildings, dams, and bridges, and geotechnical arrays to the earthquake engineering community. As a result of...
Authors
Lisa Sue Schleicher, Jamison Haase Steidl, Eric M. Thompson, Alan K. Yong, Jeff Brody, James Luke Blair, Mike Hearne, Brad T. Aagaard, Susan E. Hough, Han Shao, Garet Huddleston, Keira Heilpern, Kristin Marano, Gabe Ferragut, B. Worden, David J. Wald, Jason De Cristofaro, Adria Ruth McClain, B. Dunham, D. Nget, J. Aragon, J. Gomez, V. Amador, V. Carrasco Rodriquez, E. E. Luna, D. Cembalski, D. Childs, J. Smith, D. Croker, L. Gee
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Site-specific, extended ShakeMaps for earthquake engineering applications Site-specific, extended ShakeMaps for earthquake engineering applications

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) routinely produces ShakeMaps of shaking intensity across the globe. Due to practical constraints, the number of response spectral periods was limited to three standard periods (0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 sec). We have recently developed the tools that are necessary to expand this functionality to include 22 periods (matching the current U.S. National Seismic...
Authors
Eric M. Thompson, Mike Hearne, Charles Worden, Vince Quitoriano, Annabelle Elizabeth Cunningham, David J. Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake: A retrospective analysis The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake: A retrospective analysis

The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake was a watershed event, with far-reaching societal and scientific impacts. The earthquake, which occurred in the early days of both broadband seismic networks and the Internet, spurred advances in seismic monitoring, real-time systems, and development of data products. Motivated by the 30th anniversary of the earthquake, we present a...
Authors
Susan E. Hough, Robert Graves, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Clara Yoon, James Luke Blair, Scott Haefner, David J. Wald, Vince Quitoriano
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment

Authors
David J. Wald, Tatiana Goded, Ayse Hortascu, Sabine Chandradewi Loos
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

ShakeMap Atlas 4.0 and AtlasCat: An archive of the recent and the historical earthquake ShakeMaps, and impacts for global hazard analyses and loss model calibration ShakeMap Atlas 4.0 and AtlasCat: An archive of the recent and the historical earthquake ShakeMaps, and impacts for global hazard analyses and loss model calibration

Archival earthquake studies often focus on event and source characteristics for use in earthquake catalogs, seismotectonic understanding, and ground‐motion studies—many of these targeting better constraints for probabilistic seismic‐hazard analyses. The ShakeMap Atlas, in contrast, focuses on spatial distribution of shaking for the historical events, providing the best constraints at all...
Authors
Kristin Marano, Mike Hearne, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Eric M. Thompson, C. Bruce Worden, David Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

DisasterNet: Causal Bayesian networks with normalizing flows for cascading hazards DisasterNet: Causal Bayesian networks with normalizing flows for cascading hazards

Sudden-onset hazards like earthquakes often induce cascading secondary hazards (e.g., landslides, liquefaction, debris flows, etc.) and subsequent impacts (e.g., building and infrastructure damage) that cause catastrophic human and economic losses. Rapid and accurate estimates of these hazards and impacts are critical for timely and effective post-disaster responses. Emerging remote...
Authors
Xuechun Li, Paula Madeline Burgi, Wei Ma, Haeyoung Noh, David J. Wald, Susu Xu
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Alerting the globe of consequential earthquakes Alerting the globe of consequential earthquakes

The primary ingredients on the hazard side of the equation include the rapid characterization of the earthquake source and quantifying the spatial distribution of the shaking, plus any secondary hazards an earthquake may have triggered. On the earthquake impact side, loss calculations require the aforementioned hazard assessments—and their uncertainties—as input, plus the quantification...
Authors
David J. Wald
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

References in Google Scholar

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

A map of the magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Felt in Puerto Rico showing it hit about six miles offshore on the south side of island

Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment

The USGS “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) is an extremely popular way for members of the public to contribute to earthquake science and earthquake response. DYFI has been in operation for nearly two decades (1999-2019) in the U.S., and for nearly 15 years globally. During that period the amount of data collected is astounding: Over 5 million individual DYFI intensity reports—spanning all...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment

Developing and Implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Science, and Rapid Damage Assessment

The USGS “Did You Feel It” (DYFI) is an extremely popular way for members of the public to contribute to earthquake science and earthquake response. DYFI has been in operation for nearly two decades (1999-2019) in the U.S., and for nearly 15 years globally. During that period the amount of data collected is astounding: Over 5 million individual DYFI intensity reports—spanning all magnitude and
Learn More
map of Los Angeles area with different gradational colors

The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning

Release Date: MAY 29, 2020 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...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning

The Blind Zone of Earthquake Early Warning

Release Date: MAY 29, 2020 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...
Learn More
World map showing the global distribution of earthquakes in gray scale.

Future Opportunities in Regional and Global Seismic Network Monitoring and Science

The past decade has seen improvements in computational efficiency, seismic data coverage, and communication technology - driven by societal expectation for timely, accurate information. While aspects of earthquake research have taken advantage of this evolution, the adoption of improvements in earthquake monitoring has not been fully leveraged. In real-time monitoring, earthquakes are
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Future Opportunities in Regional and Global Seismic Network Monitoring and Science

Future Opportunities in Regional and Global Seismic Network Monitoring and Science

The past decade has seen improvements in computational efficiency, seismic data coverage, and communication technology - driven by societal expectation for timely, accurate information. While aspects of earthquake research have taken advantage of this evolution, the adoption of improvements in earthquake monitoring has not been fully leveraged. In real-time monitoring, earthquakes are
Learn More
USGS science for a changing world logo

Operational Earthquake Forecasting – Implementing a Real-Time System for California

It is well know that every earthquake can spawn others (e.g., as aftershocks), and that such triggered events can be large and damaging, as recently demonstrated by L’Aquila, Italy and Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes. In spite of being an explicit USGS strategic-action priority (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1088; page 32), the USGS currently lacks an automated system with which to...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Operational Earthquake Forecasting – Implementing a Real-Time System for California

Operational Earthquake Forecasting – Implementing a Real-Time System for California

It is well know that every earthquake can spawn others (e.g., as aftershocks), and that such triggered events can be large and damaging, as recently demonstrated by L’Aquila, Italy and Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes. In spite of being an explicit USGS strategic-action priority (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1088; page 32), the USGS currently lacks an automated system with which to forecast
Learn More

ShakeMap Atlas V4 and AtlasCat ShakeMap Atlas V4 and AtlasCat

The Atlas of ShakeMaps (~14,100 earthquakes, 1900-2020) provides a consistent and quantitative description of the distribution of shaking intensity for calibrating earthquake loss estimation methodologies, like those used in the USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system. Version 4 of the Atlas includes a vastly expanded compilation of ShakeMaps for...
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

A Global Hybrid Vs30 Map with a Topographic-Slope-Based Default and Regional Map Insets A Global Hybrid Vs30 Map with a Topographic-Slope-Based Default and Regional Map Insets

Time-averaged shear wave velocity over the upper 30 meters of the earth's surface (Vs30) is a key parameter for estimating ground motion amplification as both a predictive and diagnostic tool for earthquake hazards. A first-order approximation of Vs30 is commonly obtained via a topographic slope-based or terrain proxy due to the widely available nature of digital elevation models...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Did You Feel It? Did You Feel It?

Did You Feel It? (DYFI) collects information from people who felt an earthquake and creates maps that show what people experienced and the extent of damage.
By
Earthquake Hazards Program

An Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories An Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories

Earthquake-triggered ground-failure, such as landsliding and liquefaction, can contribute significantly to losses, but our current ability to accurately include them in earthquake hazard analyses is limited. The development of robust and transportable models requires access to numerous inventories of ground failure triggered by earthquakes that span a broad range of terrains, shaking
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Shakemap earthquake scenario: Building Seismic Safety Council 2014 Event Set (BSSC2014) Shakemap earthquake scenario: Building Seismic Safety Council 2014 Event Set (BSSC2014)

This is a catalog of earthquake scenarios, represented as ShakeMaps. A ShakeMap is a USGS product that facilitates communication of earthquake effects by portraying a map of the severity of shaking. Maps of shaking severity are provided in terms of macroseismic intensity, peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and spectral accelerations (at 0.3, 1.0 and 3 sec oscillator periods)...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 169

International macroseismic scale 2025 International macroseismic scale 2025

No abstract available.
Authors
G. Grunthal, R. Musson, J. Schwarz, R. Spencer, David Wald, T. Wenk
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ground motions from finite faults with unknown geometry Ground motions from finite faults with unknown geometry

Earthquake emergency response and loss modeling require accurate models of ground‐motion intensity metrics (IMs), such as those produced by ShakeMap. In the critical minutes and hours after an earthquake, however, knowledge of the earthquake source geometry limits the accuracy of these models, especially in areas where seismic instrumentation is insufficient to constrain the shaking...
Authors
Charles Worden, Eric M. Thompson, Harriet Zoe Yin, David Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Rapid characterization of the 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia earthquake Rapid characterization of the 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia earthquake

The 29 July 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia, earthquake was the sixth largest instrumentally recorded earthquake. This event was seismically well observed at regional and teleseismic distances, but publicly available near‐source data were sparse at the time of the event, presenting unique challenges for rapid source and impact characterization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National...
Authors
Harriet Zoe Yin, Kate E. Allstadt, William D Barnhart, Samantha Ann Clapp, Paul S. Earle, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Alex R. Grant, Matt Herman, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Sara K. McBride, Adam T. Ringler, Max Schneider, Eric M. Thompson, Nicholas J. van der Elst, David Wald, Dun Wang, Charles Worden, William L. Yeck
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ultralong, supershear rupture of the 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake reveals unaccounted risk Ultralong, supershear rupture of the 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay earthquake reveals unaccounted risk

The 28 March 2025 moment magnitude (Mw) 7.7 earthquake in Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), ruptured 475 kilometers of the Sagaing Fault, which was more than twice the length predicted by magnitude scaling relationships. Kinematic slip models and observation of a Rayleigh Mach wave that passed through parts of Thailand confirmed that rupture occurred at supershear velocities of greater than 5...
Authors
Dara Elyse Goldberg, William L. Yeck, Catherine Elise Hanagan, James William Atterholt, Haiyang Liam Kehoe, Nadine G. Reitman, William D. Barnhart, David R. Shelly, Alexandra Elise Hatem, David Wald, Paul S. Earle
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Quantitative evaluations of earthquake early warning performance using “Did You Feel It?” and post-alert surveys Quantitative evaluations of earthquake early warning performance using “Did You Feel It?” and post-alert surveys

We examine responses to the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Did You Feel It?” (DYFI) survey and its companion earthquake early warning (EEW) questionnaire to assess the performance of the U.S. ShakeAlert EEW system directly from the alert recipients’ perspectives. ShakeAlert rapidly detects earthquakes and develops alert information, but as official alert delivery partners issue these alerts...
Authors
Jessie K. Saunders, David J. Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

A journey to the center of the USGS National Strong-motion Project processing and beyond A journey to the center of the USGS National Strong-motion Project processing and beyond

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Strong Motion Project (NSMP) has the primary U.S. government responsibility to acquire, process, and disseminate significant strong-motion earthquake ground motion records measured at surficial free-field stations, structures (buildings, dams, and bridges, and geotechnical arrays to the earthquake engineering community. As a result of...
Authors
Lisa Sue Schleicher, Jamison Haase Steidl, Eric M. Thompson, Alan K. Yong, Jeff Brody, James Luke Blair, Mike Hearne, Brad T. Aagaard, Susan E. Hough, Han Shao, Garet Huddleston, Keira Heilpern, Kristin Marano, Gabe Ferragut, B. Worden, David J. Wald, Jason De Cristofaro, Adria Ruth McClain, B. Dunham, D. Nget, J. Aragon, J. Gomez, V. Amador, V. Carrasco Rodriquez, E. E. Luna, D. Cembalski, D. Childs, J. Smith, D. Croker, L. Gee
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Site-specific, extended ShakeMaps for earthquake engineering applications Site-specific, extended ShakeMaps for earthquake engineering applications

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) routinely produces ShakeMaps of shaking intensity across the globe. Due to practical constraints, the number of response spectral periods was limited to three standard periods (0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 sec). We have recently developed the tools that are necessary to expand this functionality to include 22 periods (matching the current U.S. National Seismic...
Authors
Eric M. Thompson, Mike Hearne, Charles Worden, Vince Quitoriano, Annabelle Elizabeth Cunningham, David J. Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake: A retrospective analysis The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake: A retrospective analysis

The 17 January 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake was a watershed event, with far-reaching societal and scientific impacts. The earthquake, which occurred in the early days of both broadband seismic networks and the Internet, spurred advances in seismic monitoring, real-time systems, and development of data products. Motivated by the 30th anniversary of the earthquake, we present a...
Authors
Susan E. Hough, Robert Graves, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Clara Yoon, James Luke Blair, Scott Haefner, David J. Wald, Vince Quitoriano
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment

Authors
David J. Wald, Tatiana Goded, Ayse Hortascu, Sabine Chandradewi Loos
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

ShakeMap Atlas 4.0 and AtlasCat: An archive of the recent and the historical earthquake ShakeMaps, and impacts for global hazard analyses and loss model calibration ShakeMap Atlas 4.0 and AtlasCat: An archive of the recent and the historical earthquake ShakeMaps, and impacts for global hazard analyses and loss model calibration

Archival earthquake studies often focus on event and source characteristics for use in earthquake catalogs, seismotectonic understanding, and ground‐motion studies—many of these targeting better constraints for probabilistic seismic‐hazard analyses. The ShakeMap Atlas, in contrast, focuses on spatial distribution of shaking for the historical events, providing the best constraints at all...
Authors
Kristin Marano, Mike Hearne, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Eric M. Thompson, C. Bruce Worden, David Wald
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

DisasterNet: Causal Bayesian networks with normalizing flows for cascading hazards DisasterNet: Causal Bayesian networks with normalizing flows for cascading hazards

Sudden-onset hazards like earthquakes often induce cascading secondary hazards (e.g., landslides, liquefaction, debris flows, etc.) and subsequent impacts (e.g., building and infrastructure damage) that cause catastrophic human and economic losses. Rapid and accurate estimates of these hazards and impacts are critical for timely and effective post-disaster responses. Emerging remote...
Authors
Xuechun Li, Paula Madeline Burgi, Wei Ma, Haeyoung Noh, David J. Wald, Susu Xu
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Alerting the globe of consequential earthquakes Alerting the globe of consequential earthquakes

The primary ingredients on the hazard side of the equation include the rapid characterization of the earthquake source and quantifying the spatial distribution of the shaking, plus any secondary hazards an earthquake may have triggered. On the earthquake impact side, loss calculations require the aforementioned hazard assessments—and their uncertainties—as input, plus the quantification...
Authors
David J. Wald
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

References in Google Scholar

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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