Global seismic hazard maps exist to help societies and decision-makers anticipate and prepare for earthquakes.

Northern Italy on Tuesday was shaken by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake, killing at least ten people, less than two weeks after a magnitude 6.0 temblor rocked the same region, destroying castles, churches and leaving seven dead.

Results of a new U.S. Geological Survey study conclude that faults west of Lake Tahoe, Calif., referred to as the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone, pose a substantial increase in the seismic hazard assessment for the Lake Tahoe region of California and Nevada.

New dynamic computer model first to show full history of a fault segment

The space-based technology that lets GPS-equipped motorists constantly update their precise location will undergo a major test of its ability to rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes across the western United States.