Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab

Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific Northwest

The sun sets behind a mountaintop seismic monitoring station.

The Oregon Hazards Lab is a research lab within the University of Oregon's Department of Earth Sciences. We currently partner in these efforts:

Pacific Northwest Seismic Network

Along with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington, we monitor ground motion to better understand earthquake and volcano hazards and their impacts on communities in Oregon and Washington.

ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System

Since 2014, the Oregon Hazards Lab has been an instrumental partner in building and promoting the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system.

Wildfire Detection Cameras

With hundreds of mountaintop cameras installed throughout the western United States, this high-speed wildfire detection network provides firefighters and first responders a new way to spot and track wildfires.

A young man and a young woman attach a sensor to a piece of seismic monitoring equipment.

Wildfire Smoke Sensors

As part of our partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we are deploying 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon and testing their effectiveness at detecting emerging wildfires.

Sage Continuum

We are building a continent-spanning network of smart sensors to improve the flow of information between scientists and the natural world.

Willamette Watershed Project

The Oregon Hazards Lab is developing resilient communications infrastructure for the Santiam, Sisters, and McKenzie River corridors that will support a natural disaster monitoring and alerting network.

illustrated mural depicts natural disaster monitoring equipment on a mountainous coast

219

ShakeAlert Seismic Stations

54

Wildfire Detection Cameras

30

Wildfire Smoke Sensors

2018

Year OHAZ Was Founded

24

Full-Time Staff

7

Student Researchers

News from the Oregon Hazards Lab

Oregon Hazards Lab Newsletter – November 2024

Oregon Hazards Lab Newsletter – November 2024

The quarterly Oregon Hazards Lab newsletter has arrived. The November 2024 edition recaps summer field work, the impacts of wildfire cameras during fire season, the buildout of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and our partnership with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments.

University of Oregon’s Wildfire Camera Network Continues to Grow

University of Oregon’s Wildfire Camera Network Continues to Grow

The frequency and severity of wildfires are rising, driven by climate change, decades of fire suppression, and growth in the wildland-urban interface. But a lab at the University of Oregon has deployed a wildfire intelligence platform that gives counties new tools to spot and track wildfires.