Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Geological forces below the surface of the Earth have created some of our most inspiring landscapes—the Cascade Range, the Himalayas, Yellowstone, the Hawaiian Islands, the Galapagos Islands, and many more—but these same forces often also threaten our way of life and devastate communities.
NASA Earth observations help geologists and decision makers understand the movement of the Earth, monitor risk and vulnerability of populations, and
Discover Data
Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Sulfur Dioxide Daily Total Column in Earthdata Search. Earthdata Search is a data discovery and data access application that enables access to the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Applications System (EOSDIS) Earth science data across the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs).
Discover Earthquake and Volcano Data
Socioeconomic Impacts from Hazards
Socioeconomic datasets help with the assessment of the exposure and vulnerability of a community to a disaster. Exposure is the presence of people, ecosystems, and infrastructure in places that could be adversely affected by a disaster. Vulnerability is the propensity to be adversely affected by a disaster.
Earthquake Hazards
- Discover Earthquake-related Data in Earthdata Search
- Earthquake Data at NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
- Hazards Mapper at SEDAC
Volcano Hazards
- Discover Volcano-related Data in Earthdata Search
- Volcano Hazard Data at SEDAC
- Visualize Volcano Hazard Data in Worldview
Population
- Discover Population Data in Earthdata Search
- Visualize Population Data in Worldview
- Estimate Population in User-Defined Area
- Population Data at SEDAC
- POPGRID Mapping Tool
- Hazards and Population Mapper App at SEDAC
Webinars
- Gridded Population and Settlement Data: An An Introduction to the POPGRID Data
- GNSS Radio Occultation Science and Applications
- Mapping Global Urbanization from Landsat Data and High-Resolution Reference Data
Data Tutorials/Recipes
Volcanic Aerosols
The dispersal of aerosols such as sulfur dioxide preceding and during a volcanic event can have not only an immediate but also a long-term effect on the atmosphere. Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) can create pollutants that aggravate respiratory conditions in humans. Depending on the scale of the event, It can also change global temperatures for a period of time.
Sulfur Dioxide
- Discover SO2 Data at Earthdata Search
- Visualize SO2 Data in Worldview
- SO2 Data at NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC)
- SO2 Data in Giovanni
- SO2 Data at NASA's Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) (search for SO2)
Webinars
Data Tutorials/Recipes
assess impacts when an event does happen. This toolkit is designed to support research into earthquake and volcano-related disasters by providing easy access to relevant data and other resources.
Socioeconomic Impacts | Volcanic Aerosols | Ground Displacement | Disaster Response
Visualize Data
Visualization of the NASA/NOAA Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) NOAA-20 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Imagery in Worldview. The EOSDIS Worldview mapping application provides the capability to interactively browse global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers.
Ground Displacement
There are several ways to measure movement of the ground due to an earthquake. The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is a network of satellites providing positioning and timing to ground receivers, which provide a fairly precise measure of any movement. Additionally, Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) combines images from two different dates, one before the event and one after the event, to assess the amount of deformation from ground movement, whether from a fault rupture or a volcanic bulge, collapse, or lava flow.
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
- Discover GNSS Data in Earthdata Search
- GNSS Data at NASA's Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS)
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
- Discover SAR Data with Earthdata Search
- SAR Data at NASA's Alaska Satellite Facility DAAC (ASF DAAC)
- Sentinel-1 InSAR Data at ASF DAAC
- Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle SAR (UAVSAR) InSAR Data at ASF DAAC
- UAVSAR KMZ Files at ASF DAAC
Webinars
Data Tutorials/Recipes
Disaster Response
Many different types of NASA Earth observations can be used to provide disaster management personnel and first responders with relevant up-to-date data, often near real-time, to help in the management of recovery efforts.
Land Surface Reflectance
- Discover Land Surface Reflectance Data in Earthdata Search
- Visualize Land Surface Reflectance
- Discover Surface Reflectance Data at NASA's Land Processes DAAC (LP DAAC)
Land Surface Temperature
Active Fires and Thermal Anomalies
- Discover Active Fire and Thermal Anomalies in Earthdata Search
- Visualize Active Fire and Thermal Anomalies in Worldview
- Visualize Active Fire and Thermal Anomalies in the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS)
- Active Fire and Thermal Anomalies at LP DAAC
Power Outages using Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band
- Discover VIIRS Day/Night Band in Earthdata Search
- Visualize VIIRS Nighttime imagery in Worldview
- Black Marble at NASA's Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System DAAC (LAADS DAAC)
- Black Marble Imagery in Worldview
Webinars
Data Tutorials/Recipes
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Getting Started with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Thermal
Anomalies and Fire Data: All About Accessing Data - Getting Started with MODIS Thermal Anomalies and Fire Data: Interpreting Quality Information
- Getting Started with MODIS Thermal Anomalies and Fire Data: Using the Data
- Learn about Satellite Detections of Fire in Worldview
- Tutorials/Recipes for LP DAAC Data
- Data Prep Scripts in R and Python at LP DAAC
- Monitoring Volcanoes Using ASTER Satellite Imagery
- 18 Years of Volcanic Eruptions: Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Getting Started
About the Data
NASA provides data from a variety of sources including satellites, airborne campaigns, field campaigns, in situ instruments and model outputs. The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) offers a wide variety of freely and openly available data that can be used to evaluate disaster-related events.
Rowena Lohman studies earthquake physics, satellite remote sensing, finite element modeling, ground displacements from a variety of anthropogenic and natural causes.
Dr. Mike Ramsey uses Earth science data to developing new ways to study active volcanoes and to provide data to support emergency response.
Dr. Piyush Agram develops new techniques for using and interpreting SAR and Interferometric SAR (InSAR) imagery.
Dr. Kristine Larsen researches plate tectonics and geodesy, with work developing new ways of using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to study Earth and the water cycle.
Brian Conway uses SAR data to monitor land subsidence and the impacts of this on Arizona's water resources.
Dr. Franz Meyer, Chief Scientist, Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), talks about Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
Earthquakes and Volcanoes Data Pathfinder
Disasters Data Pathfinder
Read about how researchers are using NASA satellite, field campaign, and model data to study natural disasters, the impacts of these disasters, and ways to mitigate risk and exposure.
Other Resources
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SAR Data from SARViews
Earthquake-related Data from GeoGateway
NASA Applied Sciences Earthquakes
Volcano Data from the ASTER Volcano Archive
Volcano Data in Action from LP DAAC
Volcanological Applications of ECOSTRESS Data
Volcano Data Stories at GES DISC
NASA Applied Sciences Volcanoes
Published October 21, 2020
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Page Last Updated: Nov 5, 2020 at 4:40 PM EST
