Unified Interior Regions
California
The Southwest Region includes California, Nevada, and Arizona. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions.
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
A map of ShakeOut scenario shaking in southern California
A map of ShakeOut scenario shaking in southern California.
Lidar shaded relief map of the Hayward Fault and UC Berkeley stadium
A filtered vertical laser image, taken using a technique called light detection and ranging (LIDAR), of part of the Hayward Fault (red lines) in the City of Berkeley. The fault passes through the University of California Berkeley football stadium (left), and past earthquake movements have significantly offset Hamilton Gulch (center). Arrows show relative movement on
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Eruptions in the Cascade Range during the past 4000 years. USGS GIP 64
Eruptions in the Cascade Range during the past 4000 years. USGS GIP 64
ShakeMaps for the 1868 Hayward Quake and the 1989 Loma Prieta Quake
ShakeMap showing the inferred intensity of ground shaking in the 1868 earthquake (measured as MMI, or Modified Mercalli Intensity), compared to a ShakeMap for the 1989 magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake. Red lines are major earthquake faults; black line shows the portion of the Hayward Fault that ruptured in 1868; diamonds show locations of damage reports (1868) and
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Fly Over the Seafloor of San Francisco Bay
Virtual fly-through of San Francisco Bay revealing the seafloor as if the water was drained from the Bay. The movie flies through the south and central Bay, pausing over prominent seafloor features including, large sand waves, rock pinnacles, current scour pits, as well as many human impacts on the seafloor.
PubTalk 12/2008 — Gemstone Deposits of the United States
Commercial production - localities visited by mineral collectors
by Pete Modreski, USGS Gemstone Specialist
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- Gemstones found in the United States include sapphire, opal, tourmaline, aquamarine, turquoise, amethyst, peridot, and many others
- More than a half-dozen states are known for their gemstones, including
PubTalk 11/2008 — Taking the Biological Pulse of Our Planet
The USA National Phenology Network
by Jake Weltzin, NPN Executive Director
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- Phenology, an emerging integrated science, is combining government, university, and public knowledge to study seasonal cycles in the biosphere
- Recent findings in phenology are providing new insights into the timing of biological events
Preparedness Now
This film depicts the realistic outcome of a hypothetical, but plausible, magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas fault in Southern CA.
Stream Gage sits high and dry on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea
Stream gage #10254005 located near Westmorland, CA, on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea, now sits out of the water as the Salton Sea continues to evaporate and the shoreline retreats.
PubTalk 10/2008 — Prehistoric Packrat Piles
Archives of Climate Change
by Kenneth Cole, USGS Research Ecologist
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- Piles of ancient vegetation hoarded by packrats are providing clues to past events of rapid climate warming -- similar to those expected for the 21st century
- Preserved material shows the effects of three sudden warming events that occurred over
Deploying the poking eyeball
USGS scientists from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California deploy an instrument called the poking eyeball. The system, developed by PCMSC, was designed to take repetitive microscopic images of the seabed from a tripod on the seafloor. The images record changes in seabed sediment over
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Groundshaking animation: Hayward Fault, Oakland epicenter
Scenario shows the ground shaking for a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward fault with the epicenter in Oakland, California. Visit M7.0 Earthquake Scenarios - Hayward Fault for detailed perspective views. Â
Stress changes produced by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake had a profound effect on Bay Area seismicity by dramatically reducing it in the 20th century, according to David Schwartz, of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif.Â
Nearly 300 scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey will present papers and posters describing their earth-science research, during the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, December 10 – 14.Â
There is science and there is spirit. Sometimes the two twine at apt times. So it is that, in the spirit of an ancient, but ageless Santa Claus, the General Grant Tree-- officially designated in 1926 as the Nation’s Christmas tree by President Calvin Coolidge -- just keeps getting younger.
Of Alaska’s several-thousand valley glaciers, including nearly 700 that are named, fewer than 20 are advancing, according to a major study that U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Bruce F. Molnia will present at the American Geophysical Union Annual 2001 Fall Meeting, scheduled for Dec. 10-14 in San Francisco, CA.
We know that global atmospheric CO2 concentrations are increasing and we are reasonably confident in our estimates of the sources.
They really do "give a wrap" at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. In fact they are giving away outdated topographical maps that can be used for holiday gift wrap, just for visiting the agency’s map sales outlet at 345 Middlefield Road in Menlo Park, between now and December 22.
They really do "give a wrap" at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. In fact they are giving away outdated topographical maps that can be used for holiday gift wrap, just for visiting the agency’s map sales outlet at 345 Middlefield Road in Menlo Park, between now and December 22.
Understanding the natural role of fire in chaparral ecosystems is necessary to effectively manage fires in southern California’s shrublands, where large, high-intensity fires sweep the landscape each year, threatening lives and homes.
Think of southern California, and images of beach, sun and surf come to mind, coupled with boundless recreation opportunities for beach-goers. What’s missing from these images? It could be the shorebirds that cavort at the edge of the sea and sand.
Think of southern California, and images of beach, sun and surf come to mind, coupled with boundless recreation opportunities for beach-goers. What’s missing from these images? It could be the shorebirds that cavort at the edge of the sea and sand.
In observance of National Geography Awareness Week, November 11-17, the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park will host a GIS (Geographic Information System) Day event for students of local elementary and high schools.
In observance of National Geography Awareness Week, November 11-17, the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park will host a GIS (Geographic Information System) Day event for students of local elementary and high schools.
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Locations
Southwest Regional Director's Office
Phone: (916) 278-9551
Fax: (916) 278-9566
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Phone: 831-460-7401
Fax: 831-427-4748
Sacramento Projects Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 916-278-3000
Fax: 916-278-3070
Western Ecological Research Center - Headquarters
Phone: (916) 278-9485
Fax: (916) 278-9475
Geology, Minerals, Energy and Geophysics Science Center
Phone: (650) 329-4881
Earthquake Science Center
Western Geographic Science Center - Main Office
San Diego Projects Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 619-225-6100
Fax: 619-225-6101
USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO package delivery)
askcalvo@usgs.gov
Phone: 650-329-5083
Truckee Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 530-587-0910
Fax: 530-587-0914
Redding Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 530-246-5282
Fax: 530-246-0717
Ukiah Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 707-468-4040
Fax: 707-468-4022
Redlands Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 909-798-3272
West Sacramento Projects Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 916-617-2799
Eureka Satellite Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 707-442-3169
Fax: 707-445-7860
Sacramento Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 916-381-0207
Fax: 916-381-0556
Santa Cruz Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 831-460-7494
Santa Maria Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 805-928-9539
Fax: 805-928-9220
Poway Field Office (USGS California Water Science Center)
Phone: 858-679-4015
Fax: 858-679-4019
USGS Menlo Park Library
men_lib@usgs.gov
Phone: 650-329-5027
Fax: 650-329-5132