Updated seismic map from the USGS highlights hazards across the United States

Nearly 75% of the country is at risk of a potentially devastating earthquake within the next 100 years, according to a recently updated map from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The map is the first to include all 50 states in a single USGS assessment, and shows hazards in some places that have not been highlighted before.

Mark Petersen, a USGS geophysicist who led the mapping team, said assessments like this are refined over time as the science behind them improves.

“And in the case of these maps, we've increased the risk in many areas because we've added new details about the soil and how it modulates ground shaking,” Petersen told Weather.com in an interview. About how rifts rupture and how complex they are.

The update was released last year.

What the USGS earthquake map tells us

The color-coded map shows a range of earthquake probabilities across the United States. Known high-risk areas, such as California and Alaska, are coded dark red, indicating the highest risk.

But the same level of danger exists in a small section of the central United States. Other lesser-known areas with some risk include Charleston, South Carolina, where a major earthquake occurred in 1886.

The US Geological Survey estimates that 37 states have already been hit by earthquakes greater than magnitude 5, which is considered “devastating.”

“That doesn't mean they all have earthquakes at the same rate because in California, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, especially the coastal areas, (earthquakes) are much more common and with much higher frequencies than in the central and eastern U.S.,” Petersen said.

“So I think the message is still that there is an increased risk in many populated areas of the United States, but there are some places where the risk is much higher than other places. And all states probably have some chance of future earthquakes.”

The map's release came around the 30th anniversary of the deadly Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, the latest major quake to hit the United States.

Tools such as the USGS map are used to help inform building codes and structural design, as well as emergency management.

Petersen noted that small earthquakes occur frequently and are often not felt at all. But large cases present a completely different scenario.

He added: “When they happen, they cause serious consequences, and we need to design buildings so that they are strong enough to withstand those tremors and not collapse on people and kill them.”

Here's how to stay safe

Petersen recommends going to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's earthquake preparedness website and reading tips on how to prepare for an earthquake.

This includes the practice of “drop, cover and wait.”

“I think the most important thing to learn here is that everyone should know what to do in the event of an earthquake, no matter where you live,” said Ari Sarsalari, a meteorologist at Weather.com. “It's the same as preparing for a hurricane or a tornado or something else.” emergency.”

The Weather Company's primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment, and the importance of science in our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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