The Team consists of eight research groups and three information centers. National Earthquake Information Center National Geomagnetic Information Center National Landslide Information Center Seismic Hazard Mapping National seismic hazard maps are the primary products of this research activity. These maps have been incorporated in National building code maps since the mid 1980's. They will form the basis for the 1997 Recommended Provisions of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. These maps are also used in the regulation of waste disposal sites, highway design, insurance, loss estimation, and damage mitigation.
USGS researchers devise new methods of quantifying seismic hazards using alternative models.
They perform regional and local hazard mapping with emphasis on the amplification of ground motion by local geology and 3-D sedimentary basin geometry. These networks are the essential Observational infrastructure for earthquake rnonitoring, nuclear test monitoring, earthquake hazards assessment, and basic research. Neotectonics USGS scientists study the geologic setting of active faults, volcanoes, and other active areas of the Earth's crust. Their investigations provide a geologic and geophysical framework for understanding and assessing historic earthquakes, paleoseismicity, earthquake hazards, and volcano hazards. They focus on characterizing and understanding hazards created by large earthquakes throughout the U.S., as well as in the Philippines and Australia, but also study neotectonics and active deformation.