USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
Name	USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
Formation	1977
Jurisdiction	United States
Parent organization	United States Geological Survey
Headquarters	Reston, Virginia

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program is the primary federal agency effort for seismic monitoring, hazard assessment, and public information in the United States, coordinating with agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Smithsonian Institution to support communities affected by seismic events. The program operates national networks alongside regional partners such as the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and the Alaska Earthquake Center, integrating observations from the Advanced National Seismic System, Global Seismographic Network, and regional seismic arrays to inform responses to events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Overview

The program functions as a national center for earthquake monitoring, research, and hazard communication, collaborating with institutions such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of the Interior, the National Science Foundation, the United States Congress, and state geological surveys to develop tools used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state emergency management agencies. Responsibilities include operating seismic networks linked to the National Seismic System, developing products like ShakeMap, and providing rapid moment tensor solutions in coordination with international partners including the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, the International Seismological Centre, the Japan Meteorological Agency, and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

History and Development

The program evolved from earlier federal seismic efforts and initiatives influenced by landmark events such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1940 El Centro sequence, and the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake, with institutional development involving the United States Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the California Division of Mines and Geology, and academia including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University. Key milestones include establishment of national monitoring capabilities after seismic crises that engaged entities like the White House, the National Research Council, the Carnegie Institution, and international scientific bodies such as the Royal Society and the American Geophysical Union to standardize seismic instrumentation, data sharing, and hazard mapping techniques.

Monitoring and Data Collection

The program maintains and coordinates networks including the Advanced National Seismic System, the Global Seismographic Network, regional arrays managed with partners like the California Institute of Technology, the University of Washington, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Southern California Seismic Network to collect waveform data, strong-motion records, and geodetic observations from Global Positioning System stations and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar campaigns supported by NASA. Data products feed into operational systems used by the National Weather Service, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and international observatories such as the Observatoire de Paris and the Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, enabling rapid event characterization, magnitude estimation, and aftershock forecasting for sequences similar to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Research and Hazard Assessment

Research activities emphasize seismic hazard analysis, ground motion modeling, earthquake rupture physics, and paleoseismology in collaboration with universities like Stanford University, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Brown University, and research agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Outputs include probabilistic seismic hazard maps used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Society of Civil Engineers, state building codes, and infrastructure agencies like the Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as studies of fault systems including the San Andreas Fault, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and the Wasatch Fault to inform retrofit priorities and land-use planning.

Public Education and Outreach

Educational initiatives partner with museums and institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Red Cross, the National Park Service, the California Academy of Sciences, and public broadcasters to produce outreach materials, preparedness guides, and curriculum linked to events like ShakeOut drills coordinated with schools, hospitals, utilities, and transit agencies. The program disseminates alerts and guidance through platforms used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state emergency management agencies, local municipalities, and community organizations, and collaborates with professional societies such as the Seismological Society of America and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute to translate scientific findings for engineers, planners, and policymakers.

Emergency Response and Mitigation Programs

During significant earthquakes the program provides rapid notifications, ShakeMap products, and aftershock forecasts used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state emergency management agencies, the Department of Homeland Security, and international partners including the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to coordinate search and rescue, damage assessment, and humanitarian response. Mitigation efforts support code development by the American Society of Civil Engineers, retrofit programs implemented by state housing authorities and transit agencies, infrastructure resilience projects with the Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of Engineers, and research-to-practice collaborations with universities such as the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Illinois to reduce seismic risk to communities exposed along fault systems exemplified by past events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake.

Category:United States Geological Survey