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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

USGS Announces Recipients of Recent Earthquake Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements

USGS Announces Recipients of Recent Earthquake Research Grants and Cooperative Agreements

M7.7 Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar) Earthquake

M7.7 Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar) Earthquake

USGS Seeks Earthquake Hazards Research Proposals

USGS Seeks Earthquake Hazards Research Proposals

Publications

Evidence for fluid pressurization of fault zones and persistent sensitivity to injection rate beneath the Raton Basin Evidence for fluid pressurization of fault zones and persistent sensitivity to injection rate beneath the Raton Basin

Subsurface wastewater injection has increased the seismicity rate within the Raton Basin over more than two decades, with the basin-wide injection rate peaked between 2009-2015. To understand the evolution of injection-induced earthquakes, we systematically analyzed 2016-2024 broadband recordings with a machine-learning-based phase picker and constructed a catalog with 95,993 earthquakes...
Authors
Mohammadreza Jamalreyhani, Ruijia Wang, Brandon Schmandt, Andres Felipe Peña Castro, Margaret Elizabeth Glasgow

Estimating earthquake source depth using teleseismic broadband waveform modeling at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center Estimating earthquake source depth using teleseismic broadband waveform modeling at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center

The U.S. Geologic Survey National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) monitors global seismicity, producing a catalog of earthquake source parameters in near-real-time to provide information that can help mitigate the societal impact of earthquakes. The NEIC commonly relies on teleseismic observations to constrain earthquake source parameters (e.g., location, depth, magnitude, and...
Authors
William L. Yeck, Robert B. Herrmann, John Patton, William D. Barnhart, Harley M. Benz

High-pass corner frequency selection and review tool for use in ground-motion processing High-pass corner frequency selection and review tool for use in ground-motion processing

Raw seismological waveform data contain noise from the instrument’s surroundings and the instrument itself that can dominate recordings at low and high frequencies. To use these data in ground‐motion modeling, the effects of noise on the signals must be reduced and the signals’ usable frequency range identified. We present automated procedures to efficiently reduce low‐frequency noise...
Authors
Maria E. Ramos-Sepulveda, Scott J. Brandenberg, Tristan E. Buckreis, Grace Alexandra Parker, Jonathan P. Stewart

Science

Engineering and Risk

The well-known statement "Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do" highlights the need to make our communities more earthquake resilient. The impact of earthquakes on public safety and the national economy can be reduced through improvement of the built environment to resist earthquake effects such as ground shaking. Extending natural hazards science to risk involves (1) conducting research to...
Engineering and Risk

Engineering and Risk

The well-known statement "Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do" highlights the need to make our communities more earthquake resilient. The impact of earthquakes on public safety and the national economy can be reduced through improvement of the built environment to resist earthquake effects such as ground shaking. Extending natural hazards science to risk involves (1) conducting research to...
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2025 Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Long-term National Seismic Hazard Model

We anticipate the final 2025 PRVI NSHM to be available by December 21st 2025.
2025 Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Long-term National Seismic Hazard Model

2025 Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Long-term National Seismic Hazard Model

We anticipate the final 2025 PRVI NSHM to be available by December 21st 2025.
Learn More
Public kickoff webinar: 2026 National Seismic Hazard Models for Guam & Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa

Public kickoff webinar: 2026 National Seismic Hazard Models for Guam & Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa

Monday, February 24, 2025 2:00-4:00 pm MST A Virtual Meeting
Learn More

Multimedia

Map of the United States and its territories showing 2024 International Building Code Seismic Design Categories and Risk Categories.
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Map of the United States and its territories showing the distribution of average annualized earthquake losses by region (modified from Jaiswal and others, 2023). Economic losses from earthquakes in these nine regions are estimated to average $14.7 billion dollars per year.
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10 Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded
10 Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded
10 Largest Earthquakes Ever Recorded
Snapshot of QFaults for the area including Yellowstone National Park
Snapshot of QFaults for the area including Yellowstone National Park
Snapshot of QFaults for the area including Yellowstone National Park
Seismic hazard model for Hawaii from 2021 showing peak ground acceleration where warmer colors are higher levels.
Seismic hazard model for Hawaii from 2021 showing peak ground acceleration where warmer colors are higher levels.
Seismic hazard model for Hawaii from 2021 showing peak ground acceleration where warmer colors are higher levels.
A cross section through the area of Anchorage, AK showing earthquakes at depths along with subduction model linework from Slab2 and inputs from the 2007 NSHM.
Alaska cross section from the 2023 NSHM
Alaska cross section from the 2023 NSHM
Shake Movie for M5.2 Julian earthquake Thumbnail Shake Movie for M5.2 Julian earthquake
Shake Movie for M5.2 Julian earthquake
man in front of a graphic for PAGER USGS PAGER during the Magnitude 7.7 2025 Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar) Earthquake
USGS PAGER during the Magnitude 7.7 2025 Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar) Earthquake
Aftershock Forecast Sequence-Specific Model Parameters
AftershockForecastSequence-SpecificModelParameters.png
AftershockForecastSequence-SpecificModelParameters.png
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