EARTH: Slipping Point - Snow Scientists Dig In to Decipher Avalanche Triggers

As skiers hit the slopes this winter, EARTH Magazine explores the science of how to keep them and other winter explorers safe. Every year, hundreds of people are killed by avalanches. Understanding the science of the frozen environment is only part of this story; communicating the risk is a field as dynamic as the weather systems and terrains that foster avalanches.

Oklahoma calls for a reduction in wastewater injection

Oklahoma experienced a 50 percent increase in earthquakes magnitude-3 or greater last year—up from 585 in 2014 to 881 in 2015.

Map of the surface geology of Hawaii

The United States Geological Survey's (USGS) geologic map of the state of Hawai'i provides a series of printable color maps of the surface geology for each island in the state of Hawai'i. Users can also download metadata for the maps, GIS database files, and spreadsheets of geochemical and radiometric age data for different lava flows.

Click here to access the USGS geologic map of Hawai'i.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Interactive map of Florida's geology and natural resources

The Florida Geological Survey provides a huge amount of information on Florida's geology and natural resources in interactive map form, including:

EARTH Magazine: Narratives from Nepal: Relief and Rebuilding after the Gorkha Earthquake

Next week at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, geoscientists will be meeting to discuss findings from the April 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, which devastated Nepal and killed approximately 8,900 people. EARTH Magazine brings you a special feature that describes how initial data informed relief efforts and a community ranging from mountaineers to geophysicists to engineers is helping Nepal rebuild.

Interactive map of shoreline change in Alaska

Information on this page was collected from the source acknowledged below:

Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys:

Communicating Cascadia's Earthquake Risk

Friday, October 16, 2015

Overarching questions addressed in this webinar include:

What does geoscience tell us about the risk posed by the Cascadia subduction zone?
How is earthquake science used in the decision-making process?
What challenges do state and local decision makers face responding to the threat of large-scale earthquakes in their area?
How can information about earthquake risk be communicated effectively to decision makers and the public?
What actions are state and local decision makers taking to prepare for the risks posed by Cascadia and other similar faults? What other actions could be taken?

Our speakers include:

Chris Goldfinger, Oregon State University | Slides Video
Jeff Rubin, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue | Slides Video
Tom Brocher, Earthquake Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey | Slides Video

Webinar Co-Sponsors:
U.S. Geological Survey, Western States Seismic Policy Council, Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission

CEU Credits

To earn CEU credits, please complete the associated on-demand GOLI course that was developed from this webinar with a grade of 70% or higher and then submit your application for CEUs. CEUs are awarded from the American Institute of Professional Geologists. To view the full list of on-demand GOLI courses, please browse the GOLI course catalog.

Resources to learn more:

View this webinar's Question & Answer session
U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2014-3083: ShakeAlert: an earthquake early warning system for the United States West Coast
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014-1097: Technical implementation plan for the ShakeAlert production system: an Earthquake Early Warning system for the West Coast of the United States
Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup: Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquakes: A magnitude 9.0 earthquake scenario
(also available at: Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries: Open-File Report 13-22 and Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources: Information Circular 116)
California Geological Survey Special Report 115: Planning Scenario in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, California for a Great Earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone
Oregon Resilience Plan

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about earthquakes in the Cascadia region.

Communicating Cascadia's Earthquake Risk: The Science Behind the Cascadia Subduction Zone Risk

Critical Needs: Natural Hazards

To minimize the potential impact of natural hazards:

Encourage basic and applied research to strengthen community resilience. Geoscientists study the links between natural hazards and Earth processes and the ways natural hazards impact society. They identify hazard-prone areas through geologic mapping, seismic monitoring, and other investigations.

Visualization of drought in California

The U.S. Geological Survey provides a website of visualizations that show how California's extreme drought in the early-mid 2010s progressed through the early-mid part of the decade and then was relieved with significant rain and snowfall in 2016-2017. Visualizations of the extent and severity of drought, change in reservoir volumes, and streamflow compared to historic rates are all available on the website, which you scroll through to see different features.

Click here to see the visualization of California's drought

Visualization of ash cloud predictions from Mount St. Helens

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Volcano Hazards Program's visualization shows the projected ash cloud for three differently-sized, hypothetical eruptions of Mount St. Helens. The visualizations depict a simulation of the spread of volcanic ash, based on a combination of wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and volcanologist-derived eruption size parameters.

American Geosciences Institute

hazards