hazards

Sinkhole Basics

Why do sinkholes matter?

Like landslides, sinkholes can devastate small areas. Natural sinkholes are a potential threat throughout 20% of the United States.[1] Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania are most sinkhole-prone because of their bedrock. Human-induced sinkholes can develop anywhere due to careless practices.

Landslide Basics

Why do landslides matter?

Landslides affect all 50 states and U.S. territories, though mountainous regions such as the Pacific Coast range, the Rockies, the Appalachians, Alaska, and Hawaii bear the most severe risk. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that each year in the United States, landslides cause the deaths of 25 to 50 people and losses of at least $1 billion.[2]

Flood Basics

Why do floods matter?

Flooding is the most common, and costliest, natural hazard facing the United States. The National Weather Service published reports on flood damages and deaths until 2014. From 1984 to 2014 floods caused an average of $8 billion in damages and 82 deaths per year nationwide.[1]

Drought Basics

Extreme drought is part of natural climatic cycles around the world. Historic records and prehistoric reconstructions extending back 1000 years document that extreme droughts have occurred repeatedly in North America, sometimes for longer periods than even the most severe droughts of the 20th century.[1] Research on climate variability is addressing how drought may impact the United States in the future. 

Weather Hazards Basics

Why do weather hazards matter?

Weather hazards impact the entire country, with enormous effects on the economy and public safety. Since 1980, weather/climate disasters have cost the U.S. economy more than $1 trillion.[1] Several billion-dollar weather/climate disasters affect the United States in an average year.[2]

Map of earthquake probabilities across the United States

Ground shaking is the most powerful predictor of damage from an earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Map shows the strength of ground shaking that has a 1 in 50 chance of being exceeded in a particular place in the lower 48 states over a period of 50 years. These maps are used in determining building seismic codes, insurance rates, and other public decisions.

EARTH Magazine: Are slow-slip earthquakes under Tokyo stressing faults?

Submitted by mmoses on

New research examining plate movements under Tokyo has found that since the massive magnitude-9 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, recurrence intervals for nondamaging slow-slip quakes beneath Japan’s capital have shortened. That has left seismologists wondering if this aseismic creep could be signaling a countdown to Tokyo’s next “big one.” Read more about scientists’ estimations of Tokyo’s seismic risk in the August issue of EARTH Magazine.

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