St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project
Project Overview
In the St. Louis area of Missouri and Illinois the USGS is partnering with a local working group to produce urban earthquake hazard maps for the community.
The project is being led by representatives from the Missouri University of Science and Technology Natural Hazards Mitigation Institute, the Illinois State Geological Survey, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources , the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) emergency managers, CUSEC State Geologists, CERI at the University of Memphis, and the USGS.
Is there earthquake hazard in the St. Louis region?
The St. Louis area has experienced minor earthquake damage at least 12 times in the past 200 years (PDF).
How does our local geology affect the earthquake hazard maps?
Structures located in the Missouri and Mississippi River floodplains will likely experience stronger ground shaking and a greater likelihood of liquefaction. Bedrock is most commonly a hard 350 million-year-old limestone in the St. Louis area. Structures built on or near bedrock, such as in the upland areas out of the floodplains, will tend to have lower levels of earthquake ground shaking. For more details about these topics click on the project Fact Sheet in the upper right of this page.
For some basic information on earthquake hazards and hazard maps, please see Earthquake Hazards 101.
Links to other Central United States Earthquake Information Relevant to St. Louis
Products
- Detailed Surficial Geologic Materials Mapping for the O'Fallon 7.5 Minute Quadrangle
- Implementation of a more efficient hazard calculation methodology and more extensive uncertainty analysis for the St. Louis region
- Detailed Surficial Geologic Maps for the Elsah, Grafton, and Alton 7.5' Quadrangles
- Paleoseismological Study in the St. Louis Region: Collaborative Research, M. Tuttle & Associates and the Eastern Region Climate/Hazards Team, USGS
- PowerPoint Presentation: St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project
- 2009 Fact Sheet: Earthquake Hazard in the New Madrid Seismic Zone Remains a Concern
- USGS OFR 2009-1059: St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project— A Progress Report-November 2008
- Comparing the 2002 and 2008 USGS Seismic Hazard Model in the St. Louis Area
- Report describing the St. Louis area surficial materials database
- Download the St. Louis area surficial materials database (MDB 31Mb)
- Liquefaction susceptibility and probabilistic liquefaction potential hazard mapping, St. Louis, Missouri and Illinois
- Creation of a Geologic GIS Database for the St. Louis Metro Area, Missouri and Illinois
- St. Louis, Metro Area Shear Wave Velocity Testing
- Shallow P- and S-Wave Velocities and Site Resonances in the St. Louis Region, Missouri-Illinois
