Summary of Creepmeter Data from 1980 to 2020—Measurements Spanning the Hayward, Calaveras, and San Andreas Faults in Northern and Central California
John Langbein, Roger G. Bilham, Hollice A. Snyder, Todd Ericksen
2024, Open-File Report 2024-1011
This report is an update to the presentation by Schulz (1989) introducing potential users to the creepmeter data collected between the publication of Schulz’s report and mid-2020. The creepmeter network monitors aseismic, surface slip at various locations on the Hayward, Calaveras, and San Andreas Faults in northern and central California....
Induced seismicity strategic vision
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Justin L. Rubinstein, Andrew J. Barbour, J. Ole Kaven
2024, Circular 1509
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of contributions to the understanding and resolution of various scientific questions related to earthquakes associated with human activities, referred to as induced seismicity. Work started with the Rocky Mountain Arsenal studies in the 1960’s (Healy and others, 1968) when it was...
Developing and implementing an International Macroseismic Scale (IMS) for earthquake engineering, earthquake science, and rapid damage assessment
David J. Wald, Tatiana Goded, Ayse Hortascu, Sabine Chandradewi Loos
2024, Open-File Report 2023-1098
Executive SummaryMacroseismic observations and analysis connect our collective seismological past with the present and the present to the future by facilitating hazard estimates and communicating the effects of ground shaking to a wide variety of audiences across the ages. Invaluable ground shaking and building damage information is gained through standardized,...
Recent applications of the USGS National Crustal Model for Seismic Hazard Studies
Oliver S. Boyd, James Andrew Smith, Morgan P. Moschetti, Brad T. Aagaard, Robert Graves, Evan Tyler Hirakawa, Sean Kamran Ahdi
2024, Conference Paper, Geologic mapping forum 23/24 abstracts
The U.S. Geological Survey is developing the National Crustal Model (NCM) for seismic hazard studies to facilitate modeling site, path, and source components of seismic hazard across the conterminous United States. The NCM is composed of a 1km grid of geophysical profiles, extending from the Earth’s surface into the upper...
The USGS 2023 Conterminous U.S. time‐independent earthquake rupture forecast
Edward H. Field, Kevin R. Milner, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Peter M. Powers, Frederick Pollitz, Andrea L. Llenos, Yuehua Zeng, Kaj M. Johnson, Bruce E. Shaw, Devin McPhillips, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Allison Shumway, Andrew J. Michael, Zheng-Kang Shen, Eileen L. Evans, Elizabeth H. Hearn, Charles Mueller, Arthur D. Frankel, Mark D. Petersen, Christopher DuRoss, Richard W. Briggs, Morgan T. Page, Justin Rubinstein, Julie A. Herrick
2024, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (114) 523-571
We present the 2023 U.S. Geological Survey time‐independent earthquake rupture forecast for the conterminous United States, which gives authoritative estimates of the magnitude, location, and time‐averaged frequency of potentially damaging earthquakes throughout the region. In addition to updating virtually all model components, a...
Global seismic networks operated by the U.S. Geological Survey
David C. Wilson, Charles R. Hutt, Lind Gee, Adam T. Ringler, Robert E. Anthony
2024, Seismological Research Letters (95) 1578-1590
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Global Seismographic Network (GSN) Program operates two thirds of the GSN, a network of state‐of‐the‐art, digital seismological and geophysical sensors with digital telecommunications. This network serves as a multiuse scientific facility and a valuable resource for research, education,...
Probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis for the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ryota Kiuchi, Walter D. Mooney, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-Q
We present a probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis (PSHA) for the west-central part of the Arabian Peninsula. Our study area includes the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field and the nearby city of Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This young, active volcanic field experienced one historical eruption in 1256 C.E. (654 in...
Seismic hazard assessment for areas of volcanic activity in western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Hani M. Zahran, Vladimir Sokolov, Ian C. F. Stewart
2023, Professional Paper 1862-P
Earthquake swarms caused by volcanic activity, tectonic stresses, or industrial operations (oil and gas production) can pose considerable risk for nearby settlements. As a rule, a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) that is based on time-independent earthquakes does not take into account earthquake swarms because of their statistically time-dependent nature....
Ground-motion prediction equations for the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ryota Kiuchi, Walter D. Mooney, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-O
Ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are developed by employing a mixed-effects regression model to modify the Boore and others (2014) Next Generation Attenuation-West2 (NGA-West2) project GMPEs. NGA-West2 addressed several key issues concerning GMPEs for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regions. However, the NGA-West2...
Ambient seismic noise tomography of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Francesco Civilini, Walter D. Mooney, Martha K. Savage, John Townend
2023, Professional Paper 1862-N
Harrat Rahat is a Cenozoic volcanic field in the west-central part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 150 kilometers east of the Red Sea, and is the site of the most recent eruption in the country (1256 C.E.; 654 in the year of the Hijra). The city of Al Madīnah...
Thickness of the Saudi Arabian crust
Alexander R. Blanchette, Simon L. Klemperer, Walter D. Mooney, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-M
As part of a joint Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project, we analyzed P-wave receiver functions from seismic stations covering most of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to map the thickness of the crust across the Arabia Plate. We present an update of crustal-thickness estimates and...
The Saudi Geological Survey-U.S. Geological Survey northern Harrat Rahat project—Styles, rates, causes, and hazards of volcanism near Al Madīnah al Munawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert, Walter D. Mooney
2023, Professional Paper 1862-A
Active volcanic systems pose serious hazards to people and property including inundation and incineration by lava, blanketing by tephra (volcanic ash), exposure to noxious volcanic gases, and damage from shallow earthquakes triggered by ascending molten material (magma). To improve understanding of volcanism and associated seismicity on the western Arabia Plate,...
Active volcanism on the Arabian Shield—Geology, volcanology, and geophysics of northern Harrat Rahat and vicinity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert, Walter D. Mooney, editor(s)
2023, Professional Paper 1862
Active volcanic systems pose serious hazards to people and property including inundation and incineration by lava, blanketing by tephra (volcanic ash), exposure to noxious volcanic gases, and damage from shallow earthquakes triggered by ascending molten material (magma). To improve understanding of volcanism and associated seismicity on the western Arabia Plate,...
Rapid Source Characterization of the 2023 Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, Earthquake
William L. Yeck, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Dara Elyse Goldberg, William D. Barnhart, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, David R. Shelly, Antonio Villasenor, Harley Benz, Paul S. Earle
2023, The Seismological Record (3) 357-366
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) estimates source characteristics of significant damaging earthquakes, aiming to place events within their seismotectonic framework. Contextualizing the 8 September 2023, Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, earthquake is challenging, because it occurred in an enigmatic region of active surface faulting,...
Panel review of Ground Motion Characterization Model in 2023 NSHM
Jonathan P. Stewart, Norman A. Abrahamson, Gail M. Atkinson, John G. Anderson, Kenneth W. Campbell, Chris H. Cramer, Michael Kolaj, Grace Alexandra Parker
2023, Report
The 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM; Petersen et al., 2023) has two major components – a seismic source characterization (SSC) model and a ground motion characterization (GMC) model. The US Geological Survey (USGS) established separate panels to review and provide input on these two models. Both panels are...
New high resolution airborne geophysical surveys in Nevada And California for geothermal and mineral resource studies
Jonathan M.G. Glen, Tait E. Earney
2023, Conference Paper
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are collaborating to acquire high-resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric data to support geologic and geophysical mapping and modeling that will assist geothermal and critical mineral studies. Coordinated with these efforts are programs supporting geologic mapping and airborne LiDAR (light...
Preliminary map of the surface rupture from the August 9, 2020, Mw 5.1 earthquake near Sparta, North Carolina—The Little River fault and other possible coseismic features
Arthur J. Merschat, Mark W. Carter
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1074
This publication is a preliminary map and geodatabase of the coseismic surface rupture and other coseismic features generated from the August 9, 2020, Mw 5.1 earthquake near Sparta, North Carolina. Geologic mapping facilitated by analysis of post-earthquake quality level 0 to 1 lidar, document the coseismic surface rupture, named the...
Crustal thickness and the VP/VS ratio within the Arabia Plate from P-wave receiver functions at 154 broadband seismic stations
Alexander R. Blanchette, Simon L. Klemperer, Walter D. Mooney
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1042
As part of a joint Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) and United States Geological Survey project, we analyzed P-wave receiver functions from seismic stations covering most of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to map the thickness of the crust across the Arabia Plate. We present an update of crustal thickness...
Summary of the history and research of the U.S. Geological Survey gas hydrate properties laboratory in Menlo Park, California, active from 1993 to 2022
Laura A. Stern, Stephen H. Kirby
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1063
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Clathrate Hydrate Properties Project, active from 1993 to 2022 in Menlo Park, California, stemmed from an earlier project on the properties of planetary ices supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. We took a material science approach in...
Seismic images and subsurface structures of northeastern Edwards Air Force Base, Kern County, California
Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Joanne H. Chan, Robert R. Sickler, Coyn J. Criley
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1018
We used multi-component seismic data (including two-dimensional images of compressional-wave velocity [vP], shear-wave velocity [vS], the ratio of compressional-wave velocity to shear-wave velocity [vP/vS ratio], Poisson’s ratio [μ], and seismic reflections) along a transect across northeastern Edwards Air Force Base to investigate the upper few hundred meters of the subsurface....
Comparison of earthquake early warning systems and the national volcano early warning system at the U.S. Geological Survey
Aleeza Wilkins, Charlie Mandeville, John Power, Douglas D. Given
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3033
IntroductionEvery year in the United States, natural hazards threaten lives and livelihoods, resulting in thousands of casualties and billions of dollars in damage. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Mission Area works with many partners to monitor, assess, and research a wide range of natural hazards, including earthquakes and...
DisasterNet: Causal Bayesian networks with normalizing flows for cascading hazards
Xuechun Li, Paula Madeline Burgi, Wei Ma, Haeyoung Noh, David J. Wald, Susu Xu
2023, Conference Paper, KDD '23: Proceedings of the 29th ACM SIGKDD conference on knowledge discovery and data mining
Sudden-onset hazards like earthquakes often induce cascading secondary hazards (e.g., landslides, liquefaction, debris flows, etc.) and subsequent impacts (e.g., building and infrastructure damage) that cause catastrophic human and economic losses. Rapid and accurate estimates of these hazards and impacts are critical for timely and effective post-disaster responses. Emerging remote sensing...
Modern products for a vintage event: An update on the 1933 Long Beach, California, earthquake
Susan E. Hough, J. Luke Blair, Sonia Ellison, Robert Graves, Scott Haefner, Eric M. Thompson, Nicholas van der Elst, Morgan T. Page, David J. Wald
2023, The Seismic Record (3) 171-181
When a notable earthquake occurs in the United States, a range of familiar real‐ and near‐real‐time products are produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS), and made available via the ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. For historical and early instrumental earthquakes, similar results and products are...
The Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR) Scenario Retrospective 2006–21
Nora Lynn Smithhisler, Nina Burkardt
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5011
The U.S. Geological Survey Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR) Project has created four major hazard scenarios—ShakeOut, ARkStorm, Tsunami Scenario, and HayWired—with multidisciplinary teams of scientists, academics, and practitioners. By presenting a clear and highly detailed narrative of potential damage from earthquakes, tsunamis, and winter storms, the scenarios are intended...
Logs and data from the Starthistle trench across a scarp within the Wallula Fault Zone, southeastern Washington
Stephen J. Angster, Brian Sherrod, John Lasher
2023, Scientific Investigations Map 3495
IntroductionThe Wallula Fault Zone is composed of a series of northwest-trending faults and folds that coincide with a prominent magnetic anomaly that extends uninterrupted for approximately 120 kilometers within the Cascadia back arc of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. It is part of the geologic structures associated with the topographic...
