Seafloor Seismographs Rapidly Deployed Following Major Earthquake Offshore Northern California
Within just 11 days of the earthquake—the fastest response in our program’s history—9 ocean bottom seismographs were deployed off the coast of Cape Medocino, California. These instruments complement about 115 nodes and 18 real-time aftershock stations deployed on land by the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Since the mainshock and most of the aftershocks are up to 43 miles (70 kilometers) offshore, combining ocean bottom seismograph data with the data collected on land should significantly improve fault zone imaging, as well as our understanding of aftershock locations and the velocity structure near the rupture zone. The team will return in 45
Earthquake monitoring at Newberry volcano (December 18, 2024)
Beginning on December 22, 2024, and continuing off-and-on for several weeks to months, a private exploration company called Mazama Energy will conduct geothermal exploration work near Newberry volcano. As their geothermal work proceeds, many small magnitude, non-volcanic earthquakes will occur, which will be detected by the Newberry seismic network. During geothermal exploration activities at Newberry in 2012 and 2014, for example, hundreds of small earthquakes of magnitude M2.5 or less occurred while a company conducted its work. Increased rates of seismicity will be closely monitored by the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory and its monitoring partner the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
What Have We Learned Since the 2020 Stanley, Idaho, Earthquake?
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week's contribution is from Zach Lifton, geologist with the Idaho Geological Survey. Map of USGS “Did You Feel It?” reports for the March 31, 2020, M6.5 Stanley, Idaho, earthquake. Taken from https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us70008jr5/dyfi/intensity. For many years, the Sawtooth fault, in central Idaho, was recognized as an active fault, but it remained understudied. Then the Stanley earthquake shook much of the northwestern USA in 2020, providing dramatic confirmation of the area’s tectonic activity. The quake spurred a flurry of research that is shedding light
New Interactive Geonarrative Explains the 2023 Turkey, Earthquake Sequence
This tectonic map of the Turkey region shows the tectonic plates in the area and their direction of motion (arrows). The red lines indicate the plate boundaries and the small black arrows next to the red lines show the relative motion across the plate boundaries. The gold star shows the location of the M7.8 mainshock on February 6, 2023, and the blue star shows the location of the M7.5 aftershock later on February 6, 2023. A new geonarrative explains the tectonic setting of Turkey, historical seismicity of Turkey from 1900, details on both the M 7.8 and M 7.5 earthquake sequences
M7.8 and M7.5 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence near Nurdağı, Turkey (Türkiye)
A story map is now available that summarizes the tectonic setting and earthquake history in Turkey/Syria. We also have a Frequently Asked Questions page available to address the most common questions people have about the earthquake series. [Update: February 17, 2023] Read detailed aftershock statement: M 7.8 - 27 km E of Nurdağı, Turkey (Türkiye) The recent earthquakes in Turkey (Türkiye) have led to an unbearable loss of life and injuries across the Kahramanmaraş region. During the response and recovery efforts, USGS has continued to provide scientific support to help people in the region make the best decisions for themselves
Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake near Ferndale, California
The California Integrated Seismic Network and the U.S. Geological Survey reported today that a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 3 miles offshore in Northern California on December 20, 2022 at 2:34 am local time (December 20 10:34 UTC) at a depth of 11 miles (18 kilometers). The earthquake occurred about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Ferndale, California. Ferndale is located in Humboldt County on the Redwood Coast of Northern California, about 60 miles south of the Oregon border and 200 miles north of the San Francisco Bay Area. The earthquake’s strong shaking near the epicenter (described in the ShakeMap for
Human-Centered Earthquake Impact Information: Learn more about USGS Mendenhall Fellow Sabine Loos
Sabine Loos, Mendenhall Fellow In the article, Loos shares her thoughts on the USGS Mendenhall Research fellowship program and how she is using this opportunity to advance thoughtful, human-centered metrics that expand on the environmental and physical earthquake information provided by the USGS. “Throughout my PhD, I saw how many folks around the world look to the USGS whenever an earthquake happens. I slowly learned about the USGS mission and admired how the Earthquake Hazards Program has been able to develop globally available information while being transparent and open with the methods and data they apply.” Loos is focused on quantifying
Thirty years after the Northridge earthquake, new tools inform safety.
If you experienced the Northridge earthquake, it was likely a traumatizing event. You probably talked to friends and family about it, but one thing you didn‘t do at the time was submit a USGS ”Did you feel it?” report. That's because the “Did you feel it?” reporting system wasn’t created until 1999. On this thirtieth anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, the USGS is inviting people who felt it, to share their story with us, in English, Spanish, or Chinese. The magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake shook the greater Los Angeles area on January 17, 1994. Nearly 100 lives were lost and
New Year’s Day M7.5 Earthquake Shakes Japan’s West Coast
While the exact number of fatalities is still uncertain, at the time of writing there are reports of at least 64 fatalities. Based on the intensity of shaking, our impact estimates indicate that property and economic damages could potentially exceed $1 billion. The quake caused severe shaking in the city of Nanao (population 45,000), with the shaking in Tokyo being much lighter. Monday’s quake induced a tsunami of nearly 3 feet (0.8 meters) in Japan. No tsunami warning was issued for the United States or any of its territories, nor did the tsunami reach the U.S. For many, the quake
USGS-Led Study Reassesses Earthquake Hazard Potential for Central California’s Hosgri Fault
Regional map showing the main fault structures that are part of the Pacific–North American plate boundary along central California. The San Gregorio–Hosgri fault system is predominantly located near the coastline and highlighted in red. Inset map shows the focus region of this study where the Cross-Hosgri slope is located. A new study from United States Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and industry partners uses advanced sub-surface analyses and sediment dating to reassess the slip rate of the Hosgri fault off the central California coast. The research was led by Dr. Jared Kluesner, USGS Research Geophysicist at the Pacific Coastal and Marine