USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center

The Geologic Hazards Science Center is located in Golden, Colorado, on the Colorado School of Mines campus. The Science Center works in the following four programs:

• Earthquake Hazards Program
• Landslide Hazards Program
• Geomagnetism Program
• Global Seismographic Network

General Information

• Map & Directions
• Contact Us

Topical Research Projects

• Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) A nationwide network of shaking measurement systems.
• Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL) /Global Seismograph Network (GSN) The ASL installs and maintains a global network of seismograph stations, develop, test, and evaluate a variety of seismic instrumentation.
• Earthquake Effects/Ground Motion Collects field data from seismic imaging, ground motion, and ground failure to yield better seismic hazard assessments and products.
• Geomagnetism Operates and maintains magnetic observatories located in the United States and its Territories.
• Landslide Hazards Conducts research, gathers information, responds to emergencies and disasters, and produces scientific reports and other products for a broad-based user community.
• National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) The mission of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is to rapidly determine location and size of all destructive earthquakes worldwide and to immediately disseminate this information to concerned national and international agencies, scientists, and the general public.
• National Seismic Hazard Maps Produces US national maps showing earthquake ground motions that have a specified probability of being exceeded in 50 years. These ground motion values are used for reference in construction design for earthquake resistance.
• Paleoseismology The study of the timing, location, and size of prehistoric earthquakes.
• High Resolution Seismic Imaging Both active and passive methods are used for site characterization and sedimentary basin studies in urban areas.
• Wildfire-related Debris Flows USGS research on debris flows in burned areas focuses on determining the conditions and processes that cause debris flows and rapidly assessing the potential for debris flow in specific burned areas.

Highlights

Geologic Hazard Images

• Earthquake Images
• Landslide Images

Regional Research Projects

• Afghanistan Seismic Hazards Information and activities in Afghanistan.
• Cascadia Seismic Hazards Information and activities in the Pacific Northwest.
• Central & Eastern U.S. Earthquakes Information and activities in the Central United States, and the New Madrid seismic zone.
• Gujarat, India Seismic hazards in the State of Gujarat, India.
• Intermountain West Seismic Hazards Geological and geophysical studies into the hazard and risk in the Intermountain West.
• Southeast Asia Ground motion hazard for Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula .