U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program

Regional Offices

Our scientists study locations around the world. Learn about research conducted in our regional offices, regional seismic network monitoring, and local activities of interest.

• Pacific Northwest
• Northern California
• Southern California
• Intermountain West
• Central & Eastern US
• National Earthquake Information Center
• Albuquerque Seismo Lab

Today’s Earthquake Fact

Among the most dramatic and visible creations of plate-tectonic forces are the lofty Himalayas, which stretch 2,900 km along the border between India and Tibet. This immense mountain range began to form between 40 and 50 million years ago, when two large landmasses, India and Eurasia, driven by plate movement, collided. Because both these continental landmasses have about the same rock density, one plate could not be subducted under the other. The pressure of the impinging plates could only be relieved by thrusting skyward, contorting the collision zone, and forming the jagged Himalayan peaks.