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Earthquake Hazards Program

The USGS monitors and reports on earthquakes, assesses earthquake impacts and hazards, and conducts targeted research on the causes and effects of earthquakes. We undertake these activities as part of the larger National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), a four-agency partnership established by Congress.

News

(Some) Assembly Required: How to sign your organization up for the Great ShakeOut

(Some) Assembly Required: How to sign your organization up for the Great ShakeOut

USGS seeking Loma Prieta felt reports from 35-year-old earthquake

USGS seeking Loma Prieta felt reports from 35-year-old earthquake

Loma Prieta Earthquake 35th Anniversary Compilation

Loma Prieta Earthquake 35th Anniversary Compilation

Publications

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program decadal science strategy, 2024–33

Executive Summary Earthquakes represent one of our Nation’s most significant and costly natural hazards, with estimated annual loses from earthquakes close to $15 billion in 2023. Over the past two centuries, 37 U.S. States have experienced an earthquake exceeding a magnitude of 5, and 50 percent of States have a significant potential for future damaging shaking; these statistics speak to the need
Authors
Gavin P. Hayes, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, William D. Barnhart, Michael L. Blanpied, Lindsay A. Davis, Paul S. Earle, Ned Field, Jill M. Franks, Douglas D. Given, Ryan D. Gold, Christine A Goulet, Michelle M. Guy, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Nico Luco, Frederick Pollitz, Adam T. Ringler, Katherine M. Scharer, Steven Sobieszczyk, Valerie I. Thomas, Cecily J. Wolfe

Evidence for low effective stress within the crust of the subducted Gorda plate from the 2022 December Mw 6.4 Ferndale earthquake sequence

Stress levels on and adjacent to megathrust faults at seismogenic depths remain a key but difficult to constrain parameter for assessing seismic hazard in subduction zones. Although strong ground motions have been observed to be generated from distinct, high-stress regions on the downdip end of the megathrust rupture areas in many great earthquakes, we lack direct constraints on the stress level i
Authors
Hao Guo, James W. Atterholt, Jeffrey J. McGuire, Clifford Thurber

Afterslip and creep in the rate-dependent framework: Joint inversion of borehole strain and GNSS displacements for the Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake

The elusive transition toward afterslip following an earthquake is challenging to capture with typical data resolution limits. A dense geodetic network recorded the Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake, including 16 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations and 3 borehole strainmeters (BSM). The sub-nanostrain precision and sub-second sampling rate of BSMs bridges a gap between conventional seism
Authors
Catherine Hannagan, Richard Bennett, Andrew Barbour, Amanda N. Hughes

Science

M 6.9 October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ended decades of tranquility in the San Francisco Bay region. It was a wakeup call to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that are inevitable in the future. Since 1989, the work of the U.S. Geological Survey and other organizations has improved understanding of the seismic threat in the Bay region, promoted awareness of earthquake hazards, and...
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M 6.9 October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ended decades of tranquility in the San Francisco Bay region. It was a wakeup call to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that are inevitable in the future. Since 1989, the work of the U.S. Geological Survey and other organizations has improved understanding of the seismic threat in the Bay region, promoted awareness of earthquake hazards, and...
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Earthquake Response and Investigations

Post-earthquake scientific and engineering investigations are undertaken by the USGS and its partners to capture critical information to understand the causes and impacts of the event, lessons from which can substantially improve the Nation’s resilience after future earthquakes.
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Earthquake Response and Investigations

Post-earthquake scientific and engineering investigations are undertaken by the USGS and its partners to capture critical information to understand the causes and impacts of the event, lessons from which can substantially improve the Nation’s resilience after future earthquakes.
Learn More

Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards

Alaska has more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined. More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in an area that can experience a magnitude 7 earthquake. Our research provides objective science that helps stakeholders prepare for and mitigate the effects of future earthquakes and tsunamis, which bolsters the economic health and well-being of Alaska and the...
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Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards

Alaska has more large earthquakes than the rest of the United States combined. More than three-quarters of the state’s population live in an area that can experience a magnitude 7 earthquake. Our research provides objective science that helps stakeholders prepare for and mitigate the effects of future earthquakes and tsunamis, which bolsters the economic health and well-being of Alaska and the...
Learn More

Multimedia

4 photos of seismic instruments in a barren room
Seismographs at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory
Seismographs at the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory
aerial view of desert with a group of buildings and mountains in the background
Aerial View of the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory
Aerial View of the Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory
globe with red and green dots
Global Seismographic Network (GSN) Stations
Global Seismographic Network (GSN) Stations
shakeout manual cover page
Cover of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual.
Cover of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual.
shakeout manual page 5
Page 6 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
Page 6 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
shakeout manual page 8
Page 8 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
Page 8 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
shakeout manual page 3
Page 3 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
Page 3 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
shakeout manual page 4
Page 4 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
Page 4 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
shakeout manual page 4
Page 5 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
Page 5 of fictional Great ShakeOut instruction manual
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