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Thomas Pratt, Ph.D.

Thomas Pratt is a Research Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey based in Reston, Virginia, and a member of the Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado. His research interests are in seismic imaging of active fault systems, modeling of geologic structures, studying the tectonic settings of earthquakes, and understanding ground motions during earthquakes.

Education

Cornell University        BA, Geology, 1980

Virginia Tech               M.Sc., Geophysics, 1982

Virginia Tech               Ph.D.,  Geophysics, 1986

 

Professional Positions

Research Geophysicist, USGS, Reston, VA, 2013-present.

Central and Eastern Region Coordinator, USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, 2017-present.

Editor-in-Chief, Bulletin of the Seismological Society America, 2016-2021.

Acting External Grants Program Manager, USGS, 2016 (4-month term).

Associate Editor, Bulletin of the Seismological Society America, 2014-2015.

Research Geophysicist, USGS, Seattle, WA, 1994-2013.

Affiliate Professor, Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, 2003-2014.

Affiliate Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 2004-2014.

Visiting Professor, Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, May 5 - August 5, 2000.

Affiliate, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 1994-2003.

Research Geophysicist, USGS, Golden, CO, 1991-1994.

Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research, 1991-1995.

Research Associate, Department of Earth Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1989-1991.

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Earth Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1986-1989.

 

Committees

Chair, Seismological Society of America Best Student Presentation subcommittee, 2010-2011.

Member, Seismological Society of America Awards Committee, 2010-2011.

Subject Matter Expert, USGS “Requirements, Capabilities and Analysis for Earth Observations (RCA-OE)” – a USGS-wide exercise to evaluate capabilities and needs. August-October, 2014.

Member, Hiring Committee, Earthquake Hazards Program External Grants Manager (April-May, 2016)

Member (USGS Representative), FEMA 2019 New Madrid Exercise “Shaken Fury”, Interagency Core Planning Team – 2018-2019

Member, Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) Standing Committee, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), 1994-1998 and 2007-2010.

Chair, Seismological Society of America Best Student Presentation committee, 2010-2011.

Co-Chair (2009-2010), Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS) Active Source Committee; With Alan Levander of Rice University

Science and Products

link
map of Alaska area with 2020-2021 earthquakes, showing circles for earthquake locations

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
Learn More
link
Photo of the pyramid top of the Washington Monument from the U.S Park Police Helicopter.

Washington DC Stone and Brick Buildings Vulnerable to Distant Quakes

Release Date: JANUARY 2, 2018 A new study shows that DC geologic conditions strongly affect earthquake shaking.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

Washington DC Stone and Brick Buildings Vulnerable to Distant Quakes

Release Date: JANUARY 2, 2018 A new study shows that DC geologic conditions strongly affect earthquake shaking.
Learn More

Precariously balanced rock data from northern New York and Vermont, USA

This work describes observations of boulders and their pedestals at five sites in New York and Vermont, which are used to calculate scaling factors for the 2023 time-independent National Seismic Hazard Model site-specific hazard curves (Petersen, M.D., Shumway, A.M., Powers, P.M., Field, E.H., Moschetti, M.P., Jaiswal, K.S., Milner, K.R., Rezaeian, S., Frankel, A.D., Llenos, A.L. and Michael, A.J.
By
Earthquake Hazards Program

Earthquake geology inputs for the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) 2025 (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands), version 1.0

This Data Release contains preliminary versions of three related geologic input databases for the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI) region (62°–70° W and 16°–21° N) of the United States: 1) A fault sections database (“NSHM2025_FaultSections_PRVI_v1’”), which depicts the geometry of faults capable of hosting independent earthquakes, 2) a fault-zone polygon database ("NSHM2025_FaultPolygons
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ground Penetrating Radar Profiles collected in Charleston, SC, in June 2015 for imaging shallow faults

This Data Release contains a series of reconnaissance Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles collected in 2015 to image potential shallow faulting related to the 1886 M~7 earthquake near Charleston, South Carolina, and any other faults in the area. The data include coordinates for the profiles as .kmz files, and processed GPR data in SEGY format, with both the unmigrated and migrated profiles. Th
By
Earthquake Hazards Program
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 50

Precariously balanced rocks in northern New York and Vermont, U.S.A.: Ground-motion constraints and implications for fault sources

Precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) and other fragile geologic features have the potential to constrain the maximum intensity of earthquake ground shaking over millennia. Such constraints may be particularly useful in the eastern United States (U.S.), where few earthquake‐source faults are reliably identified, and moderate earthquakes can be felt at great distances due to low seismic attenuation. W
Authors
Devin McPhillips, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Sediment thickness map of United States Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Strata, and their influence on earthquake ground motions

With the recent successful accounting of basin depth ground-motion adjustments in seismic hazard analyses for select areas of the western United States, we move toward implementing similar adjustments in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains by constructing a sediment thickness model and evaluating multiple relevant site amplification models for central and eastern United States seismic hazard anal
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, David Churchwell, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, Martin C. Chapman, Okan Ilhan, Thomas L. Pratt, Sean Kamran Ahdi, Sanaz Rezaeian
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Rift basins and intraplate earthquakes: New high-resolution aeromagnetic data provide insights into buried structures of the Charleston, South Carolina seismic zone

The delineation of faults that pose seismic risk in intraplate seismic zones and the mapping of features associated with failed rift basins can help our understanding of links between the two. We use new high-resolution aeromagnetic data, previous borehole sample information, and reprocessed seismic reflection profiles to image subsurface structures and evaluate recent fault activity within the Ch
Authors
Anjana K. Shah, Thomas L. Pratt, J. Wright Horton,
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

U.S. Geological Survey coastal plain amplification virtual workshop

In early October of 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) held a virtual workshop to discuss Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains site-response models. Earthquake researchers came together to assess (1) research related to proposed Coastal Plains amplification models and (2) USGS plans for implementing these models. Presentations spanned a broad range of topics from Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Allison Shumway, Sanaz Rezaeian, Morgan P. Moschetti, Mark D. Petersen
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Sediment thickness and ground motion site amplification along the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains

Past and present research on earthquake ground motions along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains and Mississippi Embayment show significant period-dependent site response that is not presently accounted for in ground motion models. These deviations are strongly correlated with the thickness of Mesozoic and younger syn- and post-rift sediments. With the recent incorporation of deep basin depth mea
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, David Henry Churchwell, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Sanaz Rezaeian
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Shallow faulting and folding in the epicentral area of the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake

The moment magnitude (⁠Mw�w⁠) ∼7 earthquake that struck Charleston, South Carolina, on 31 August 1886 is the largest historical earthquake in the United States east of the Appalachian Mountains. The fault(s) that ruptured during this earthquake has never been conclusively identified, and conflicting fault models have been proposed. Here we interpret reprocessed seismic reflection profiles, reproce
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Anjana K. Shah, R.C Counts, J. Wright Horton,, M.C. Chapman
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Ten years on from the quake that shook the nation’s capital

No abstract available.
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Anjana K. Shah, J. Wright Horton,, Oliver S. Boyd
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Evaluating spectral ratio methods for characterizing fundamental resonance peaks on flat sediments: An example from the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Eastern United States

Damaging ground motions from the 2011 Mw 5.8 Virginia earthquake were likely increased due to site amplification from the unconsolidated sediments of the Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP), highlighting the need to understand site response on these widespread strata along the coastal regions of the eastern United States. The horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, using either earthquake si
Authors
Lisa Sue Schleicher, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Characterizing ground motion amplification by extensive flat sediments: The seismic response of the eastern U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain strata

We examine the effects that Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) strata have on ground motions in the eastern and southeastern United States. The ACP strata consist of widespread, nearly flat‐lying sediments, the upper portions of which are unconsolidated or semiconsolidated. The ACP sediments are deposited primarily on crystalline basement rocks, creating large velocity and density contrasts with the und
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Lisa Sue Schleicher
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Characterizing and imaging sedimentary strata using depth-converted spectral ratios: An example from the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the Eastern U.S.

Unconsolidated, near-surface sediments can have a profound influence on the amplitudes and frequencies of ground shaking during earthquakes, and these effects should be accounted for when using amplitude observations for seismic hazard assessments. This study explores methods to use teleseismic arrivals recorded on linear receiver arrays to characterize widespread, shallow sedimentary deposits, in
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Earthquake Science Center

Source-dependent amplification of earthquake ground motions in deep sedimentary basins

Deep sedimentary basins amplify long-period shaking from seismic waves, increasing the seismic hazard for cities within such basins. We perform 3-D simulations of point source earthquakes distributed around the Seattle and Tacoma basins in Washington State, to examine the dependence of basin amplification on source azimuth, depth, and earthquake type. For periods between 1-10 s, the pattern of amp
Authors
Erin Wirth, John E. Vidale, Arthur Frankel, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Mw 4.2 Delaware Earthquake of 30 November 2017

The 30 November 2017 Delaware earthquake with magnitude MW 4.2 occurred beneath the northeastern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula near Dover, Delaware. The earthquake and its aftershocks provide an opportunity to evaluate seismicity in a passive margin setting using much improved coverage by high-quality permanent broadband seismometers at regional distance ranges in the central and eastern United St
Authors
Won-Young Kim, Mitchell Gold, Joseph Ramsay, Anne Meltzer, David Wunsch, Stefanie Baxter, Vedran Lekic, Phillip Goodling, Karen Pearson, Lara S. Wagner, Diana C. Roman, Steven Golden, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center
10-Year Anniversary of US’s Most Widely Felt Earthquake

10-Year Anniversary of US’s Most Widely Felt Earthquake

Ten years ago, in the early afternoon of August 23, 2011, millions of people throughout the eastern U.S. felt shaking from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake...

Read Article
East vs West Coast Earthquakes

East vs West Coast Earthquakes

Why was an earthquake in Virginia felt at more than twice the distance than a similar-sized earthquake in California? The answer is one that many...

Read Article
USGS Offers Earthquake Research Grants

USGS Offers Earthquake Research Grants

The U.S. Geological Survey will award up to $7 million in grants for earthquake hazards research in 2017.
Read Article
Seismometers to Measure DC Shaking

Seismometers to Measure DC Shaking

Thirty seismometers are being installed in the Nation’s capital this winter to monitor ground tremors to better estimate the intensity of ground...

Read Article
New Sensor Network to Detail Virginia Earthquakes

New Sensor Network to Detail Virginia Earthquakes

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Virginia Tech will install a 20-station seismic network in the central Virginia area beginning Jan. 8...

Read Article

Science and Products

link
map of Alaska area with 2020-2021 earthquakes, showing circles for earthquake locations

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

External Grants - Overview

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for research that will assist in achieving the goals of the Earthquake Hazards Program. The goal is to mitigate earthquake losses that can occur in many parts of the nation by providing earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions.
Learn More
link
Photo of the pyramid top of the Washington Monument from the U.S Park Police Helicopter.

Washington DC Stone and Brick Buildings Vulnerable to Distant Quakes

Release Date: JANUARY 2, 2018 A new study shows that DC geologic conditions strongly affect earthquake shaking.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program
link

Washington DC Stone and Brick Buildings Vulnerable to Distant Quakes

Release Date: JANUARY 2, 2018 A new study shows that DC geologic conditions strongly affect earthquake shaking.
Learn More

Precariously balanced rock data from northern New York and Vermont, USA

This work describes observations of boulders and their pedestals at five sites in New York and Vermont, which are used to calculate scaling factors for the 2023 time-independent National Seismic Hazard Model site-specific hazard curves (Petersen, M.D., Shumway, A.M., Powers, P.M., Field, E.H., Moschetti, M.P., Jaiswal, K.S., Milner, K.R., Rezaeian, S., Frankel, A.D., Llenos, A.L. and Michael, A.J.
By
Earthquake Hazards Program

Earthquake geology inputs for the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) 2025 (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands), version 1.0

This Data Release contains preliminary versions of three related geologic input databases for the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI) region (62°–70° W and 16°–21° N) of the United States: 1) A fault sections database (“NSHM2025_FaultSections_PRVI_v1’”), which depicts the geometry of faults capable of hosting independent earthquakes, 2) a fault-zone polygon database ("NSHM2025_FaultPolygons
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ground Penetrating Radar Profiles collected in Charleston, SC, in June 2015 for imaging shallow faults

This Data Release contains a series of reconnaissance Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles collected in 2015 to image potential shallow faulting related to the 1886 M~7 earthquake near Charleston, South Carolina, and any other faults in the area. The data include coordinates for the profiles as .kmz files, and processed GPR data in SEGY format, with both the unmigrated and migrated profiles. Th
By
Earthquake Hazards Program
No results found.
Filter Total Items: 50

Precariously balanced rocks in northern New York and Vermont, U.S.A.: Ground-motion constraints and implications for fault sources

Precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) and other fragile geologic features have the potential to constrain the maximum intensity of earthquake ground shaking over millennia. Such constraints may be particularly useful in the eastern United States (U.S.), where few earthquake‐source faults are reliably identified, and moderate earthquakes can be felt at great distances due to low seismic attenuation. W
Authors
Devin McPhillips, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Sediment thickness map of United States Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Strata, and their influence on earthquake ground motions

With the recent successful accounting of basin depth ground-motion adjustments in seismic hazard analyses for select areas of the western United States, we move toward implementing similar adjustments in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains by constructing a sediment thickness model and evaluating multiple relevant site amplification models for central and eastern United States seismic hazard anal
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, David Churchwell, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, Martin C. Chapman, Okan Ilhan, Thomas L. Pratt, Sean Kamran Ahdi, Sanaz Rezaeian
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Rift basins and intraplate earthquakes: New high-resolution aeromagnetic data provide insights into buried structures of the Charleston, South Carolina seismic zone

The delineation of faults that pose seismic risk in intraplate seismic zones and the mapping of features associated with failed rift basins can help our understanding of links between the two. We use new high-resolution aeromagnetic data, previous borehole sample information, and reprocessed seismic reflection profiles to image subsurface structures and evaluate recent fault activity within the Ch
Authors
Anjana K. Shah, Thomas L. Pratt, J. Wright Horton,
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

U.S. Geological Survey coastal plain amplification virtual workshop

In early October of 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) held a virtual workshop to discuss Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains site-response models. Earthquake researchers came together to assess (1) research related to proposed Coastal Plains amplification models and (2) USGS plans for implementing these models. Presentations spanned a broad range of topics from Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Allison Shumway, Sanaz Rezaeian, Morgan P. Moschetti, Mark D. Petersen
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Sediment thickness and ground motion site amplification along the United States Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains

Past and present research on earthquake ground motions along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains and Mississippi Embayment show significant period-dependent site response that is not presently accounted for in ground motion models. These deviations are strongly correlated with the thickness of Mesozoic and younger syn- and post-rift sediments. With the recent incorporation of deep basin depth mea
Authors
Oliver S. Boyd, David Henry Churchwell, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Sanaz Rezaeian
By
Geologic Hazards Science Center

Shallow faulting and folding in the epicentral area of the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake

The moment magnitude (⁠Mw�w⁠) ∼7 earthquake that struck Charleston, South Carolina, on 31 August 1886 is the largest historical earthquake in the United States east of the Appalachian Mountains. The fault(s) that ruptured during this earthquake has never been conclusively identified, and conflicting fault models have been proposed. Here we interpret reprocessed seismic reflection profiles, reproce
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Anjana K. Shah, R.C Counts, J. Wright Horton,, M.C. Chapman
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Ten years on from the quake that shook the nation’s capital

No abstract available.
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Martin C. Chapman, Anjana K. Shah, J. Wright Horton,, Oliver S. Boyd
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Evaluating spectral ratio methods for characterizing fundamental resonance peaks on flat sediments: An example from the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Eastern United States

Damaging ground motions from the 2011 Mw 5.8 Virginia earthquake were likely increased due to site amplification from the unconsolidated sediments of the Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP), highlighting the need to understand site response on these widespread strata along the coastal regions of the eastern United States. The horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, using either earthquake si
Authors
Lisa Sue Schleicher, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Characterizing ground motion amplification by extensive flat sediments: The seismic response of the eastern U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain strata

We examine the effects that Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) strata have on ground motions in the eastern and southeastern United States. The ACP strata consist of widespread, nearly flat‐lying sediments, the upper portions of which are unconsolidated or semiconsolidated. The ACP sediments are deposited primarily on crystalline basement rocks, creating large velocity and density contrasts with the und
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt, Lisa Sue Schleicher
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Characterizing and imaging sedimentary strata using depth-converted spectral ratios: An example from the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the Eastern U.S.

Unconsolidated, near-surface sediments can have a profound influence on the amplitudes and frequencies of ground shaking during earthquakes, and these effects should be accounted for when using amplitude observations for seismic hazard assessments. This study explores methods to use teleseismic arrivals recorded on linear receiver arrays to characterize widespread, shallow sedimentary deposits, in
Authors
Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Earthquake Science Center

Source-dependent amplification of earthquake ground motions in deep sedimentary basins

Deep sedimentary basins amplify long-period shaking from seismic waves, increasing the seismic hazard for cities within such basins. We perform 3-D simulations of point source earthquakes distributed around the Seattle and Tacoma basins in Washington State, to examine the dependence of basin amplification on source azimuth, depth, and earthquake type. For periods between 1-10 s, the pattern of amp
Authors
Erin Wirth, John E. Vidale, Arthur Frankel, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Mw 4.2 Delaware Earthquake of 30 November 2017

The 30 November 2017 Delaware earthquake with magnitude MW 4.2 occurred beneath the northeastern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula near Dover, Delaware. The earthquake and its aftershocks provide an opportunity to evaluate seismicity in a passive margin setting using much improved coverage by high-quality permanent broadband seismometers at regional distance ranges in the central and eastern United St
Authors
Won-Young Kim, Mitchell Gold, Joseph Ramsay, Anne Meltzer, David Wunsch, Stefanie Baxter, Vedran Lekic, Phillip Goodling, Karen Pearson, Lara S. Wagner, Diana C. Roman, Steven Golden, Thomas L. Pratt
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center
10-Year Anniversary of US’s Most Widely Felt Earthquake

10-Year Anniversary of US’s Most Widely Felt Earthquake

Ten years ago, in the early afternoon of August 23, 2011, millions of people throughout the eastern U.S. felt shaking from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake...

Read Article
East vs West Coast Earthquakes

East vs West Coast Earthquakes

Why was an earthquake in Virginia felt at more than twice the distance than a similar-sized earthquake in California? The answer is one that many...

Read Article
USGS Offers Earthquake Research Grants

USGS Offers Earthquake Research Grants

The U.S. Geological Survey will award up to $7 million in grants for earthquake hazards research in 2017.
Read Article
Seismometers to Measure DC Shaking

Seismometers to Measure DC Shaking

Thirty seismometers are being installed in the Nation’s capital this winter to monitor ground tremors to better estimate the intensity of ground...

Read Article
New Sensor Network to Detail Virginia Earthquakes

New Sensor Network to Detail Virginia Earthquakes

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Virginia Tech will install a 20-station seismic network in the central Virginia area beginning Jan. 8...

Read Article
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