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Natural Hazards Mission Area

Every year in the United States, natural hazards threaten lives and livelihoods and result in billions of dollars in damage. We work with many partners to monitor, assess, and conduct targeted research on a wide range of natural hazards so that policymakers and the public have the understanding they need to enhance preparedness, response, and resilience.

News

Low-flying airplane mapping parts of northwestern California

Low-flying airplane mapping parts of northwestern California

USGS crews in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas measuring floodwaters and deploying additional gauges

USGS crews in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas measuring floodwaters and deploying additional gauges

Restoring Coral Reefs for Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Restoring Coral Reefs for Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Publications

Aftershock forecasting

Aftershocks can compound the impacts of a major earthquake, disrupting recovery efforts and potentially further damaging weakened buildings and infrastructure. Forecasts of the probability of aftershocks can therefore aid decision-making during earthquake response and recovery. Several countries issue authoritative aftershock forecasts. Most aftershock forecasts are based on simple statistical
Authors
Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Andrea L. Llenos, Andrew J. Michael, Morgan T. Page, Max Schneider, Nicholas van der Elst

Collision structures of the Prince William terrane and Chugach terrane docking along the Shumagin and Unimak convergent margins, Alaska, USA

Western Alaska’s convergent margins are composed of tectonostratigraphic terranes. On land, terrane assembly is recognized along boundaries or sutures between neighboring geologic elements with distinctly different origins. In marine areas where rock outcrops are covered by sediment, recognizing terrane sutures is problematic. A fault in seismic dip line 5 of the ALEUT project has been interpreted
Authors
Roland E. von Huene, John J. Miller

Global variability of the composition and temperature at the 410-km discontinuity from receiver function analysis of dense arrays

Seismic boundaries caused by phase transitions between olivine polymorphs in Earth's mantle provide thermal and compositional markers that inform mantle dynamics. Seismic studies of the mantle transition zone often use either global averaging with sparse arrays or regional sampling from a single dense array. The intermediate approach of this study utilizes many densely spaced seismic arrays distri
Authors
Margaret Elizabeth Glasgow, Hankui K. Zhang, Brandon Schmandt, Wen-Yi Zhou, Jinchi Zhang

Science

M6.0 South Napa, California Earthquake – August 24, 2014

The M6.0 South Napa, California Earthquake was the largest earthquake to strike the San Francisco Bay Area in over 25 years. It caused significant damage to over 100 structures and was widely felt across the region.
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M6.0 South Napa, California Earthquake – August 24, 2014

The M6.0 South Napa, California Earthquake was the largest earthquake to strike the San Francisco Bay Area in over 25 years. It caused significant damage to over 100 structures and was widely felt across the region.
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August 12, 2024 Magnetic Disturbance

Space Weather Events of August 12, 2024 - August 12, 2024 15:36 Eastern time
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August 12, 2024 Magnetic Disturbance

Space Weather Events of August 12, 2024 - August 12, 2024 15:36 Eastern time
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June 28, 2024

Space Weather Events of June 28, 2024 - June 28, 16:00 Eastern time
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June 28, 2024

Space Weather Events of June 28, 2024 - June 28, 16:00 Eastern time
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