Natural Hazards
Tsunami Record from the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Shortly after the Great San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, a sea level disturbance (tsunami) was recorded at the Presidio tide gauge station in San Francisco (the station is now located nearby at Ft. Point). What type of mechanism (earthquake rupture, landslide, other) generated the tsunami...
GHSC - Visitor Parking, Building Entry, and Public Transportation
Information to help you plan your visit to the Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado.
Descriptive Model of the July 17, 1998 Papua New Guinea Tsunami
The tsunami that struck New Guinea on July 17, 1998 was the most devastating tsunami since the 1976 Moro Gulf, Philippines, tsunami and may surpass that event (Lockridge and Smith, 1984; Satake and Imamura, 1995). The high reported runups and the tremendous loss of life are of great concern to all, including the international scientific community. Scientists closely examined this event in...
Native American Legends of Tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest
For general interest, studies and accounts regarding Native American Legends of possible tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest are excerpted below. Much of the information on this page was presented by Jim Bergeron, Oregon Sea Grant, Astoria Extension at a 1995 Meeting in Seaside, Oregon. Those interested in the subject are encouraged to refer to the original reports:
Heaton, T. H., and...
Using Video Imagery to Study Coastal Change: Barter Island, Alaska
For a short study period, two video cameras overlooked the coast from atop the coastal bluff of Barter Island in northern Alaska. The purpose was to observe and quantify coastal processes such as wave run-up, development of rip channels, bluff erosion, and movement of sandbars and ice floes.
Read more about our Arctic research projects:
...
Forest Management for Mitigating Drought Impacts
View this webinar to learn more about forest drought in the Southwest U.S. and ongoing research to mitigate regional drought effects.
Preliminary Analysis of the April 2007 Solomon Islands Tsunami, Southwest Pacific Ocean
The tsunami that was triggered by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake on April 1, 2007, in the Solomon Islands caused significant damage and loss of life. In the hopes that disasters such as this can be avoided in the future, we attempt to understand the mechanism and impact of this tsunami. The information presented here is focused on geologic aspects of the disaster.
Preliminary simulations of the 2011 Japan tsunami
Preliminary simulations of the tsunami from the March 11, 2011 M=9.1 subduction zone earthquake offshore of Honshu, Japan.
For more information about the earthquake that caused this tsunami:
Preliminary simulation of the 2017 Mexico tsunami
Preliminary simulation of the tsunami from the September 8, 2017 M=8.1 intermediate-depth earthquake offshore of Chiapas, Mexico
Preliminary Analysis of the 2009 Samoa Tsunami
September 29, 2009 Samoa Tsunami, Southwest Pacific Ocean
The tsunami that was triggered by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake on September 29, 2009, caused significant damage and loss of life on Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga. In the hopes that disasters such as this can be minimized in the future, we attempt to understand the mechanism and impact of this tsunami. The information presented...
Tsunami Hazards, Modeling, and the Sedimentary Record
Basic research to develop the geologic record of paleotsunamis and improve the ability to interpret that record is needed to mitigate tsunami risk in the U.S.
External Grants
The USGS supports external research that will assist in achieving the goals of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NERHP).