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landslide on the side of a cliff with a house at the top of the cliff, looking up at the house
Seattle Area Monitoring site
Seattle Area Monitoring site
Seattle Area Monitoring site

Photograph showing the scar left by a landslide on a hillside above the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Everett, Washington.

Photograph showing the scar left by a landslide on a hillside above the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in Everett, Washington.

Landslide came across a road in Seattle, into a house on the side of a cliff
Seattle Area Monitoring site
Seattle Area Monitoring site
Seattle Area Monitoring site

Photograph showing a house that was damaged by a 1997 landslide along Perkins Lane in Seattle, Washington.

Photograph showing a house that was damaged by a 1997 landslide along Perkins Lane in Seattle, Washington.

Map showing the ring of fire in red from the east side of Australia, up the east side of Asia, down the west coast of North America, and down the west coast of South America.
Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire

The "Ring of Fire", also called the Circum-Pacific belt, is the zone of earthquakes surrounding the Pacific Ocean- about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur there. The next most seismic region (5-6% of earthquakes) is the Alpide belt (extends from Mediterranean region, eastward through Turkey, Iran, and northern India.

The "Ring of Fire", also called the Circum-Pacific belt, is the zone of earthquakes surrounding the Pacific Ocean- about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur there. The next most seismic region (5-6% of earthquakes) is the Alpide belt (extends from Mediterranean region, eastward through Turkey, Iran, and northern India.

Diagram showing an oceanic ridge forming as the lithosphere separates
Oceanic Spreading
Oceanic Spreading
Oceanic Spreading

An oceanic spreading ridge is the fracture zone along the ocean bottom where molten mantle material comes to the surface, thus creating new crust. This fracture can be seen beneath the ocean as a line of ridges that form as molten rock reaches the ocean bottom and solidifies.

An oceanic spreading ridge is the fracture zone along the ocean bottom where molten mantle material comes to the surface, thus creating new crust. This fracture can be seen beneath the ocean as a line of ridges that form as molten rock reaches the ocean bottom and solidifies.

Map of the continuous United States with dots marking seismic events, with the majority of seismicity on the west coast
Seismicity of the United States 1975-1995
Seismicity of the United States 1975-1995
Seismicity of the United States 1975-1995

Seismicity of the United States 1975-1995. Seismicity refers to the geographic and historical distribution of earthquakes.

Seismicity of the United States 1975-1995. Seismicity refers to the geographic and historical distribution of earthquakes.

ShakeMap with a color gradient to display directivity after an earthquake.
ShakeMap Directivity Map
ShakeMap Directivity Map
ShakeMap Directivity Map

This ShakeMap of the January 17, 1994 M6.7 Northridge earthquake shaking shows the result of rupture directivity toward the north.

This ShakeMap of the January 17, 1994 M6.7 Northridge earthquake shaking shows the result of rupture directivity toward the north.

Photo showing a crack in the brown ground with a mountain in the background.
Active Emerson Fault
Active Emerson Fault
Active Emerson Fault

The Emerson fault, one of the segments that ruptured in the M7.2 1992 Landers, Calfornia earthquake. 

The Emerson fault, one of the segments that ruptured in the M7.2 1992 Landers, Calfornia earthquake. 

Slip model with a rainbow color gradient showing the slip over the depth and distance along strike
1992 M7.2 Landers, California Earthquake Slip Model
1992 M7.2 Landers, California Earthquake Slip Model
1992 M7.2 Landers, California Earthquake Slip Model

1992 M7.2 Landers, California earthquake slip model

A slip model is a kinematic model that describes the amount, distribution, and timing of slip associated with an earthquake.

1992 M7.2 Landers, California earthquake slip model

A slip model is a kinematic model that describes the amount, distribution, and timing of slip associated with an earthquake.

Diagram of cross-sections with labelled gaps in the San Andreas Fault
Cross-Sections of Seismicity Along the San Andreas Fault
Cross-Sections of Seismicity Along the San Andreas Fault
Cross-Sections of Seismicity Along the San Andreas Fault

Cross-Sections of Seismicity Along the San Andreas Fault from "Lessons learned from the Loma Prieta, California, earthquake of October 17, 1989"

Cross-Sections of Seismicity Along the San Andreas Fault from "Lessons learned from the Loma Prieta, California, earthquake of October 17, 1989"

Outline of California showing the line of the San Andreas
Segmentation of the San Andreas Fault
Segmentation of the San Andreas Fault
Segmentation of the San Andreas Fault

The segments of the San Andreas Fault, and the probability for strong shaking in the next 30 years on each segment. 

The segments of the San Andreas Fault, and the probability for strong shaking in the next 30 years on each segment. 

The Mameyes, Puerto Rico, landslide, 1985. This landslide destroyed 120 houses and killed at least 129 people.
Catastrophic Landslide
Catastrophic Landslide
Catastrophic Landslide

The Mameyes, Puerto Rico, landslide, 1985. This landslide destroyed 120 houses and killed at least 129 people. The catastrophic slide was triggered by a tropical storm that produced extremely heavy rainfall.

The Mameyes, Puerto Rico, landslide, 1985. This landslide destroyed 120 houses and killed at least 129 people. The catastrophic slide was triggered by a tropical storm that produced extremely heavy rainfall.

The April 1983 landslide at Thistle, Utah, created a 200-ft-high (60-m-high) blockage of Spanish Fork canyon.
Significant Landslide Events in the United States
Significant Landslide Events in the United States
Significant Landslide Events in the United States

The April 1983 landslide at Thistle, Utah, created a 200-ft-high (60-m-high) blockage of Spanish Fork canyon that caused disastrous flooding of the Thistle creek and Soldier Creek valleys upstream.  The flooding caused by the landslide required relocation of a major highway and railway.  An emergency spillway and diversion tunnels were constructed to drain

The April 1983 landslide at Thistle, Utah, created a 200-ft-high (60-m-high) blockage of Spanish Fork canyon that caused disastrous flooding of the Thistle creek and Soldier Creek valleys upstream.  The flooding caused by the landslide required relocation of a major highway and railway.  An emergency spillway and diversion tunnels were constructed to drain

9 sets of two vectors
Moment Tensor
Moment Tensor
Moment Tensor

The nine generalized couples of the seismic moment tensor. Modified after Aki and Richards (1980).

The nine generalized couples of the seismic moment tensor. Modified after Aki and Richards (1980).

Seismogram showing waves
Harmonic Tremor
Harmonic Tremor
Harmonic Tremor

During the first week of April a different type of seismic signature was showing up on seismograms from Mount St. Helens. On April 1 the first weak harmonic tremor was detected. Stronger bursts of harmonic tremor were recorded on the 2nd. The seismogram above is an example of harmonic tremor recorded at seismic station RAN on April 2.

During the first week of April a different type of seismic signature was showing up on seismograms from Mount St. Helens. On April 1 the first weak harmonic tremor was detected. Stronger bursts of harmonic tremor were recorded on the 2nd. The seismogram above is an example of harmonic tremor recorded at seismic station RAN on April 2.

Photo of a deformed rock with folds and cracks, with a rock hammer for scale and labelled "P Gore 1976".
Deformation Example - Deformed Rock
Deformation Example - Deformed Rock
Deformation Example - Deformed Rock

Photo of deformed rock. Deformation is a change in the original shape of a material. When we are talking about earthquakes, deformation is due to stress and strain.

Photo of deformed rock. Deformation is a change in the original shape of a material. When we are talking about earthquakes, deformation is due to stress and strain.

Illustration showing distance, magnitude, and amplitude used in the Richter scale
Richter Scale
Richter Scale
Richter Scale

The Richter magnitude scale was developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology as a mathematical device to compare the size of earthquakes. The magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded by seismographs.

The Richter magnitude scale was developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology as a mathematical device to compare the size of earthquakes. The magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded by seismographs.

Photo of a hillside with a large amount of landmass sliding down the hill, right next to a town with buildings.
1955 La Conchita Landslide
1955 La Conchita Landslide
1955 La Conchita Landslide

Photo of 1995 landslide in La Conchita, California. A landslide is a movement of surface material down a slope. 

Photo of 1995 landslide in La Conchita, California. A landslide is a movement of surface material down a slope.