Library Guides: Geology: Geological Hazards

Geological Hazards

Many, although not all, natural hazards are related to geology, including hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanoes and flooding. While many sites in this guide provide information about specific natural hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanoes (located under the Geological Features & Phenomena page), none of them provides general summary of natural hazards. The following sites provide information about and links to additional information on the concept of natural hazards.

Natural Hazards Center
The Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder is a clearinghouse for information related to the social science and policies related to disasters. The site is a collection of resources on disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. The Center's resources page includes a separate site of web resources that includes separate pages for different types of potential natural disasters, including one for near Earth objects, as well as links to hazard related statistics. It is an important starting point for anyone looking for information on natural disasters.
Natural Hazards
The U.S. Geological Survey has identified natural hazards as one of their mission areas. This web site is a central clearinghouse of links to USGS programs related to natural hazards. Among the natural hazards recognized by the Survey are earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, geomagnetism, seismology and coastal and marine geology. Floods, tsunamis and hurricanes are grouped under the coastal and marine geology category. The site provides links to fact sheets on flood, tsunami and hurricane hazards in the United States.
Be Informed (FEMA)
This web site, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provides information on a wide variety of natural hazards, including fire, floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and several weather hazards. A separate page of information is provided for each type of hazard. It also contains a readiness guide. Very few links to outside information are provided.
Flood Safety
NOAA's National Weather Service provides several links to resources related to natural hazards. This site is particularly useful for information related to floods. It includes links to resources from many different agencies that deal with floods, including NOAA, FEMA and the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as flood-related hazards, such as debris flows, droughts, ice jams and floods caused by melting snow.
Natural Hazards Data, Images and Education
NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center provides data on tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes to assist with response planning and disaster mitigation. This site provides information and links to data and information, natural hazard images and posters and educational materials related to natural hazards. It also provides a link to data on geothermal energy.
NOAA River Observations
NOAA's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) is a web site that displays the magnitude and uncertainty of occurrence of floods or droughts. It is particularly useful for viewing flood stages along major rivers.
Digital Coast
This NOAA-sponsored website provides access to information resources that can be used to help communities address coastal issues. While hosted by NOAA, it has been developed cooperatively through a partnership, of county, state, private, and nongovernmental agencies and academic institutions that keeps the effort focused on user needs. The Sea Level Rise Viewer can be used to study the impacts of sea level rise caused by climate change.
Landslides Hazards Program
The USGS provides information on the Landslides Hazards Programs, including information on landslides, images, publications and links to other resources on landslides.
Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic
The CDC developed a preparedness guide that helps people prepare for almost any disaster, including natural disasters:
Silver, Maggie, and others, 2011. Preparedness 101: Zombie pandemic. [Atlanta, GA] : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.