U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center
Stephen H. Hickman
2020, Fact Sheet 2019-3067
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Science Center is to collect a wide range of data on earthquakes, faults, and crustal deformation; conduct research to increase our understanding of earthquake source processes, occurrence, and effects; and synthesize this knowledge into probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, aftershock forecasts, and...
USGS near-real-time products-and their use-for the 2018 Anchorage earthquake
Eric M. Thompson, Sara K. McBride, Gavin P. Hayes, Kate E. Allstadt, Lisa Wald, David J. Wald, Keith L. Knudsen, Charles Worden, Kristin Marano, Randall W. Jibson, Alex R. Grant
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 94-113
In the minutes to hours after a major earthquake, such as the recent 2018 Mw">Mw 7.1 Anchorage event, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produces a suite of interconnected earthquake products that provides diverse information...
#EarthquakeAdvisory: Exploring discourse between government officials, news media and social media during the Bombay Beach 2016 Swarm
Sara K. McBride, Andrea L. Llenos, Morgan T. Page, Nicholas van der Elst
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 438-451
Communicating probabilities of natural hazards to varied audiences is a notoriously difficult task. Many of these challenges were encountered during the 2016 Bombay Beach, California, swarm of ~100 2≤M≤4.3 earthquakes, which began on 26 September 2016 and lasted for several days. The swarm’s proximity to the...
Highlights of a cursory study of behavior of three instrumented buildings during the Mw7.1 Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake of November 30, 2018
Mehmet Celebi
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 56-65
This is a cursory study of the recorded responses of three buildings instrumented by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Anchorage, Alaska, during the Mw">MwMw 7.1 earthquake of 30 November 2018. The earthquake...
Preliminary bedrock geologic map of the Lahore 7.5-minute quadrangle, Orange, Spotsylvania, and Louisa Counties, Virginia
William C. Burton
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1110
IntroductionBedrock geologic mapping of the Lahore, Va., 7.5-minute quadrangle was completed as part of a broader project, undertaken jointly between the U.S. Geological Survey, the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources, and other Federal and State agencies to better understand the causative mechanisms of the magnitude-5.8 (M5.8) earthquake that...
Temperature model in support of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model for seismic hazard Ssudies
Oliver S. Boyd
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1121
The U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model (NCM) is being developed to assist with earthquake hazard and risk assessment by supporting estimates of ground shaking in response to an earthquake. The period-dependent intensity and duration of shaking depend upon the three-dimensional seismic velocity, seismic attenuation, and density distribution of a...
Seismic evaluation of shallow-depth structure, faulting, and groundwater variations across the Dos Palmas Preserve, Riverside County, California
Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Joanne H. Chan, Robert R. Sickler, Michael J. Rymer, Coyn J. Criley
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1130
IntroductionDos Palmas Preserve is a Colorado Desert oasis and wetland in Riverside County, California, located near the base of the Orocopia Mountains and northeast of the Salton Sea. The original source of water for the oasis was artesian springs that developed at the base of the Orocopia Mountains, but more...
Increases in life-safety risks to building occupants from induced earthquakes in the central United States
Taojun Liu, Nico Luco, Abbie B. Liel
2019, Earthquake Spectra (35) 471-488
Earthquake occurrence rates in some parts of the central United States have been elevated for a number of years; this increase has been widely attributed to deep wastewater injection associated with oil and gas activities. This induced seismicity has caused damage to buildings and infrastructure and substantial public concern. In...
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2017 annual report
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
2019, Circular 1456
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, conducts research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. This report summarizes the activities and findings of YVO during the year 2017,...
Earthquakes, PAGER
David J. Wald, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Kristin Marano, Mike Hearne
2019, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics
PAGER, short for Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response, is an automated system developed and run by the US Geological Survey (USGS) that produces information concerning the impact of significant earthquakes around the world within approximately 20 min of any magnitude 5.5 or larger event. PAGER rapidly...
2019 Disaster Relief Act: USGS recovery activities
Jo Ellen Hinck, Joseph Stachyra
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3066
The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157) was signed by the President on June 6, 2019. The U.S. Geological Survey received $98.5 million for repair and replacement of facilities and equipment, collection of high-resolution elevation data in affected areas, and scientific assessments to support recovery...
Geologic map of the Ferncliff and Louisa quadrangles, Louisa, Fluvanna, and Goochland Counties, Virginia
William C. Burton, Richard W. Harrison, Helen F. Malenda, Frank J. Pazzaglia, E. Allen Crider, Jr.
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3429
The area encompassed by the geologic map of the Ferncliff and Louisa, Va., 7.5-minute quadrangles includes the hypothetical surface projection of the Quail fault, which is the subsurface fault that was responsible for the 2011 magnitude 5.8 (M5.8) Mineral, Va., earthquake. The mapping shows that the Quail fault appears to...
The HayWired earthquake scenario—Societal consequences
Shane T. Detweiler, Anne M. Wein, editor(s)
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5013-R–W
The HayWired Earthquake Scenario—Societal Consequences is the third volume of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5013, which describes the HayWired scenario, developed by USGS and its partners. The scenario is a hypothetical yet scientifically realistic earthquake sequence that is being used to better understand hazards for the San...
Updates to USGS national seismic hazard model (NSHM) and design ground motion maps for 2020 NEHRP recommended provisions
Sanaz Rezaeian, Nico Luco
2019, Conference Paper, 2019 SEAOC convention proceedings
This presentation summarizes the proposed updates to earthquake design ground motions for the 2020 edition of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions, expected to be incorporated into the ASCE 7-22 Standard. The implications of these updates on the values of design ground motions for example locations in both conterminous and nonconterminous...
Global earthquake response with imaging geodesy: recent examples from the USGS NEIC
William D. Barnhart, Gavin P. Hayes, David J. Wald
2019, Remote Sensing (11)
The U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center leads real-time efforts to provide rapid and accurate assessments of the impacts of global earthquakes, including estimates of ground shaking, ground failure, and the resulting human impacts. These efforts primarily rely on analysis of the seismic wavefield to characterize the source of...
National earthquake information center strategic plan, 2019–23
Gavin P. Hayes, Paul S. Earle, Harley M. Benz, David J. Wald, William L. Yeck
2019, Circular 1457
Executive SummaryDamaging earthquakes occur regularly around the world; since the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of earthquakes have caused significant loss of life and (or) millions of dollars or more in economic losses. While most of these did not directly affect the United States and its Territories, by studying...
Santa Rosa's past and future earthquakes
Suzanne Hecker, Darcy K. McPhee, Victoria E. Langenheim, Janet T. Watt
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3035
Santa Rosa is no stranger to earthquakes. This northern California city was damaged several times in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by shaking from earthquakes, culminating in the devastating earthquake of 1906, whose rupture passed 20 miles to the west of the city on the San Andreas Fault....
Catalog of earthquake parameters and description of seismograph and infrasound stations at Alaskan volcanoes—January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2017
James P. Dixon, Scott D. Stihler, Matthew M. Haney, John J. Lyons, Dane M. Ketner, Katherine M. Mulliken, Thomas Parker, John Power
2019, Data Series 1115
Between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) located a total of 28,172 earthquakes at volcanoes in Alaska. The annual totals are 3,840, 5,819, 5,297, 6,151, and 7,065 earthquakes for the years 2013 through 2017, respectively. This represents an average of 5,634 earthquakes per year,...
Paleoliquefaction field reconnaissance in eastern North Carolina—Is there evidence for large magnitude earthquakes between the central Virginia seismic zone and Charleston seismic zone?
Mark W. Carter, Brett T. McLaurin
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5057
In June 2016, approximately 64 kilometers (km) of riverbank were examined along the Tar and Neuse Rivers near Tarboro and Kinston, North Carolina, for evidence of liquefaction-forming earthquakes. The study area is in the vicinity of the Grainger’s fault zone in eastern North Carolina. The Grainger’s fault zone is a...
Seismic design and hazard maps: Before and after
Nico Luco
2019, Structure 28-30
The 1994 Northridge earthquake generated world-record ground motions. At the time, the horizontal peak ground acceleration of 1.8 g measured by a seismometer in Tarzana was the largest ever. The same is true of the peak ground velocity of 148 cm/s measured in Granada Hills. Both measurements were within approximately 15 km...
Petrologic and mineral physics database for use with the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model
Theron Sowers, Oliver S. Boyd
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1035
We present a petrologic and mineral physics database as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Crustal Model (NCM). Each of 209 geologic units, 134 of which are currently part of the geologic framework within the NCM, was assigned a mineralogical composition according to generalized classifications with some refinement for...
Landscape change associated with the upper Scenic Drive landslide, La Honda, California, January 10–June 28, 2017
Alexandra J. Pickering, Carol S. Prentice, Stephen B. DeLong
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1024
La Honda, California, is a small town in unincorporated San Mateo County, located on the west edge of the San Francisco Peninsula in the Santa Cruz Mountains, between San Francisco and San Jose. The Scenic Drive area of La Honda has experienced several past episodes of landslide motion, which were...
Real-time monitoring of debris-flow velocity and mass deformation from field experiments with high sample rate lidar and video
Francis K. Rengers, Thomas Rapstine, Kate E. Allstadt, Michael Olsen, Michael Bunn, Richard M. Iverson, Jason W. Kean, Ben Leshchinsky, Matthew Logan, Mahyar Sharifi-Mood, Maciej Obryk, Joel B. Smith
2019, Conference Paper, Debris-flow hazards mitigation : mechanics, monitoring, modeling, and assessment ; proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation
Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. This process is readily observed, but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which it occurs. Many methods for studying...
Jack Boatwright’s last science
Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Thomas C. Hanks
2019, Seismological Research Letters (90) 1444-1445
In the months before he passed away, Jack Boatwright asked us to review a manuscript on source properties, specifically stress drop, of earthquakes in northeastern North America (NENA). This manuscript originated in research funded by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), described in his final report to NRC and published...
Radiometric ages of volcanic rocks on the fort rock dome and in the aquarius mountains, Yavapai and Mohave Counties, Arizona
Gary S. Fuis, Andrew T. Calvert, Katie Sullivan
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1038
The Fort Rock dome, in Yavapai County, Ariz., is a roughly circular geologic structure in plan view, 2.5 km in diameter, that is similar in many ways to an impact crater; however, it is a structural dome caused by a potassic mafic intrusion at depth, and the crater-like depression in...
