USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. USGS photograph. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
Susan E. Hough
Susan Hough is a scientist in the Earthquake Hazards Program.
Science and Products
USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. USGS photograph. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator Sue Hough, surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator Sue Hough, surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Traditional construction throughout Burma utilizes bamboo and other lightweight building materials, resulting in structures that are not generally durable but are quite earthquake-safe. As traditional structures such as this house give way to more modern masonry buildings, seismic risk will increase.
Traditional construction throughout Burma utilizes bamboo and other lightweight building materials, resulting in structures that are not generally durable but are quite earthquake-safe. As traditional structures such as this house give way to more modern masonry buildings, seismic risk will increase.
The Schwedagon pagoda, Burma's most revered shrine, has been damaged multiple times by earthquakes throughout its long history.
The Schwedagon pagoda, Burma's most revered shrine, has been damaged multiple times by earthquakes throughout its long history.
The historic record documents many instances of damage to pagodas throughout Burma's cities and the countryside. These ancient and beautiful structures bear witness to a significant level of seismic hazard.
The historic record documents many instances of damage to pagodas throughout Burma's cities and the countryside. These ancient and beautiful structures bear witness to a significant level of seismic hazard.
Burma's most populous city, Rangoon, is underlain by a thick blanket of soft sediments that will significantly amplify earthquake shaking. With a period of economic expansion on the horizon, new construction such as these buildings in the capital city will be potentially vulnerable to earthquake damage unless appropriate seismic provisions are adopted in the bu
Burma's most populous city, Rangoon, is underlain by a thick blanket of soft sediments that will significantly amplify earthquake shaking. With a period of economic expansion on the horizon, new construction such as these buildings in the capital city will be potentially vulnerable to earthquake damage unless appropriate seismic provisions are adopted in the bu
This photo was taken by USGS seismologist Susan Hough two months after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. Dr. Hough traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Doug Given, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey to install seismometers, which monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
This photo was taken by USGS seismologist Susan Hough two months after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. Dr. Hough traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Doug Given, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey to install seismometers, which monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
USGS seimologist Doug Given works with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey shortly after a magnitude-7 earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010.
USGS seimologist Doug Given works with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey shortly after a magnitude-7 earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010.
The Hotel Montana, shown here, is a portable seismometer site. USGS Seismologists Doug Given, Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey traveled to Haiti shortly after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010 to install seismometers. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
The Hotel Montana, shown here, is a portable seismometer site. USGS Seismologists Doug Given, Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey traveled to Haiti shortly after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010 to install seismometers. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
USGS seismologist Doug Given worked with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J.
USGS seismologist Doug Given worked with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J.
The 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, Earthquake: Relic railroad offset reveals rupture
A study on the effect of site response on California seismic hazard map assessment
The 8 April 1860 Jour de Pâques earthquake sequence in southern Haiti
Contributed reports of widely felt earthquakes in California, United States: If they felt it, did they report it?
The 6 May 1947 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earthquake
Which earthquake accounts matter?
The normal faulting 2020 Mw5.8 Lone Pine, Eastern California earthquake sequence
Revisiting California’s past great earthquakes and long-term earthquake rate
EERI earthquake reconnaissance report: 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence
The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake (California, USA): Ground motions and rupture scenario
Where was the 31 October 1895, Charleston, Missouri Earthquake?
Poroelastic stress changes associated with primary oil production in the Los Angeles Basin, California
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- Multimedia
Women in Science - Responding to Ridgecrest, CA earthquake July 2019Women in Science - Responding to Ridgecrest, CA earthquake July 2019
USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. USGS photograph. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. USGS photograph. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
Women in Science - Responding to Ridgecrest, CA earthquake July 2019Women in Science - Responding to Ridgecrest, CA earthquake July 2019USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator Sue Hough, surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
USGS Pasadena Earthquake Response Coordinator Sue Hough, surveys displaced rocks near the southern end of the surface rupture of the 5 July 2019 M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake. Photo credit: Sue Hough, USGS
Seismic Monitoring in HaitiFollowing the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Earthquake Monitoring in HaitiFollowing the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Earthquake Education and Outreach in HaitiFollowing the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Earthquake Education and Outreach in HaitiFollowing the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, the USGS has been helping with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Traditional Construction in BurmaTraditional construction throughout Burma utilizes bamboo and other lightweight building materials, resulting in structures that are not generally durable but are quite earthquake-safe. As traditional structures such as this house give way to more modern masonry buildings, seismic risk will increase.
Traditional construction throughout Burma utilizes bamboo and other lightweight building materials, resulting in structures that are not generally durable but are quite earthquake-safe. As traditional structures such as this house give way to more modern masonry buildings, seismic risk will increase.
Schwedagon Pagoda in BurmaThe Schwedagon pagoda, Burma's most revered shrine, has been damaged multiple times by earthquakes throughout its long history.
The Schwedagon pagoda, Burma's most revered shrine, has been damaged multiple times by earthquakes throughout its long history.
Pagoda in BurmaThe historic record documents many instances of damage to pagodas throughout Burma's cities and the countryside. These ancient and beautiful structures bear witness to a significant level of seismic hazard.
The historic record documents many instances of damage to pagodas throughout Burma's cities and the countryside. These ancient and beautiful structures bear witness to a significant level of seismic hazard.
New Construction in BurmaBurma's most populous city, Rangoon, is underlain by a thick blanket of soft sediments that will significantly amplify earthquake shaking. With a period of economic expansion on the horizon, new construction such as these buildings in the capital city will be potentially vulnerable to earthquake damage unless appropriate seismic provisions are adopted in the bu
Burma's most populous city, Rangoon, is underlain by a thick blanket of soft sediments that will significantly amplify earthquake shaking. With a period of economic expansion on the horizon, new construction such as these buildings in the capital city will be potentially vulnerable to earthquake damage unless appropriate seismic provisions are adopted in the bu
Faces of Port-au-PrinceThis photo was taken by USGS seismologist Susan Hough two months after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. Dr. Hough traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Doug Given, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey to install seismometers, which monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
This photo was taken by USGS seismologist Susan Hough two months after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010. Dr. Hough traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Doug Given, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey to install seismometers, which monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
USGS Installing Seismometers in HaitiUSGS seimologist Doug Given works with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey shortly after a magnitude-7 earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010.
USGS seimologist Doug Given works with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey shortly after a magnitude-7 earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010.
USGS Installing Seismometers in HaitiThe Hotel Montana, shown here, is a portable seismometer site. USGS Seismologists Doug Given, Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey traveled to Haiti shortly after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010 to install seismometers. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
The Hotel Montana, shown here, is a portable seismometer site. USGS Seismologists Doug Given, Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J. Zebulon Maharrey traveled to Haiti shortly after the magnitude-7 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2010 to install seismometers. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks.
USGS Installing Seismometers in HaitiUSGS seismologist Doug Given worked with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J.
USGS seismologist Doug Given worked with colleagues from the Bureau des Mines et de l'Energie to install a seismometer. Seismometers monitor the earth's movement and can detect and measure aftershocks. Given traveled to Haiti with USGS colleagues Susan Hough, Mark Meremonte, and J.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 98
The 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, Earthquake: Relic railroad offset reveals rupture
In the absence of documented surface rupture during the 1 September 1886 Charleston earthquake, there has been considerable speculation about the location and mechanism of the causative fault. We use an inferred coseismic offset of the South Carolina Railroad and additional numerical constraints to develop an elastic deformation model—a west‐dipping fault following strands of two previously identiAuthorsRoger Bilham, Susan E. HoughA study on the effect of site response on California seismic hazard map assessment
Prior studies have repeatedly shown that probabilistic seismic hazard maps from several different countries predict higher shaking than that observed. Previous map assessments have not, however, considered the influence of site response on hazard. Seismologists have long acknowledged the influence of near-surface geology, in particular low-impedance sediment layers, on earthquake ground-motion atAuthorsMolly M. Gallahue, Leah Marschall Salditch, Madeleine C. Lucas, James S. Neely, Seth Stein, Norman A. Abrahamson, Tessa Williams, Susan E. HoughThe 8 April 1860 Jour de Pâques earthquake sequence in southern Haiti
The grave threat posed by the Enriquillo‐Plantain Garden fault zone (EPGFZ) and other fault systems on the Tiburon Peninsula in southern Haiti was highlighted by the catastrophic M 7.0 Léogâne earthquake on 12 January 2010 and again by the deadly M 7.2 Nippes earthquakes on 14 August 2021. Early Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar observations suggest the 2021 earthquake broke structures assoAuthorsStacey Martin, Susan E. HoughContributed reports of widely felt earthquakes in California, United States: If they felt it, did they report it?
In a recent study, Hough and Martin (2021) considered the extent to which socioeconomic factors influence the numbers and distribution of contributed reports available to characterize the effects of both historical and recent large earthquakes. In this study I explore the question further, focusing on analysis of widely felt earthquakes near major population centers in northern and southern CalifoAuthorsSusan E. HoughThe 6 May 1947 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earthquake
The State of Wisconsin is not known for earthquake activity. The authoritative public‐facing U.S. Geological Survey Comprehensive Catalog of earthquakes includes only three small (magnitude < 2) earthquakes in the state, all instrumentally recorded. Although other catalogs include more events in Wisconsin, experience has shown that many types of events, such as explosions and cryoseisms, have madeAuthorsSusan E. HoughWhich earthquake accounts matter?
Earthquake observations contributed by human observers provide an invaluable source of information to investigate both historical and modern earthquakes. Commonly, the observers whose eyewitness accounts are available to scientists are a self‐selected minority of those who experience a given earthquake. As such these may not be representative of the overall population that experienced shaking fromAuthorsSusan E. Hough, Stacey S. MartinThe normal faulting 2020 Mw5.8 Lone Pine, Eastern California earthquake sequence
The 2020 Mw 5.8 Lone Pine earthquake, the largest earthquake on the Owens Valley fault zone, eastern California, since the nineteenth century, ruptured an extensional stepover in that fault. Owens Valley separates two normal‐faulting regimes, the western margin of the Great basin and the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada, forming a complex seismotectonic zone, and a possible nascent plate boundaAuthorsEgill Hauksson, Brian J. Olsen, Alex R. R. Grant, Jennifer R Andrews, Angela I. Chung, Susan E. Hough, Hiroo Kanamori, Sara McBride, Andrew J. Michael, Morgan T. Page, Zachary E. Ross, Deborah Smith, Sotiris ValkaniotisRevisiting California’s past great earthquakes and long-term earthquake rate
In this study, we revisit the three largest historical earthquakes in California—the 1857 Fort Tejon, 1872 Owens Valley, and 1906 San Francisco earthquakes—to review their published moment magnitudes, and compare their estimated shaking distributions with predictions using modern ground‐motion models (GMMs) and ground‐motion intensity conversion equations. Currently accepted moment magnitude estimAuthorsSusan E. Hough, Morgan T. Page, Leah Salditch, Molly M. Gallahue, Madeleine C. Lucas, James S. Neely, Seth SteinEERI earthquake reconnaissance report: 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence
The Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence began the morning of 4 July 2019 with an M6.4 earthquake at 10:33 a.m., closely following several small foreshocks. The epicenter of this event was roughly 11 miles (18 km) east-northeast of Ridgecrest (Figure 1) within the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS-CL). Seismic and geologic data established that the M6.4 earthquake occurred primarily along a steAuthorsEERI Learning from Earthquakes Program, Katherine ScharerThe 1933 Long Beach Earthquake (California, USA): Ground motions and rupture scenario
We present a synoptic analysis of the ground motions from the 11 March 1933 Mw 6.4 Long Beach, California, earthquake, the largest known earthquake within the central Los Angeles Basin region. Our inferred shaking intensity pattern supports the association of the earthquake with the Newport-Inglewood fault; it further illuminates the concentration of severe damage in the town of Compton, where accAuthorsSusan E. Hough, Robert GravesWhere was the 31 October 1895, Charleston, Missouri Earthquake?
We revisit the magnitude and location of the 31 October 1895 Charleston, Missouri earthquake, which is widely regarded to be the last MW6 or greater earthquake in the central United States. Although a recent study (Bakun et al., 2003) concluded that this earthquake was located in southern Illinois, over 100 km north of the traditionally inferred location near Charleston, Missouri, our analysis ofAuthorsStacey S. Martin, Susan E. HoughPoroelastic stress changes associated with primary oil production in the Los Angeles Basin, California
While recent investigations of induced earthquakes have focused on earthquakes associated with wastewater injection and unconventional recovery methods, the potential for earthquakes to be induced by primary production has long been recognized. We use boundary element methods to quantify the predicted geometry and amplitude of stress and strain changes associated with removal of large volumes of fAuthorsSusan E. Hough, Roger G. Bilham - News