Welcome to the Oregon Hazards Lab
Using Science, Technology, and Community Engagement to Understand, Detect, and Mitigate Multi-Hazards within the Pacific Northwest
223+
Seismic Monitoring Stations
63+
Wildfire Detection Cameras
$22M+
Funding Since 2020
2018
Year OHAZ Was Founded
28
OHAZ Staff
8
Student Researchers
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.
Wildfire Smoke Sensors
As part of a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, we deployed 30 smoke sensors across Western Oregon in 2023 and tested 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.
News from the Oregon Hazards Lab
ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning Now Available to Oregon Public
The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System is coming to the Pacific Northwest. Alerts will be available to all cell phones in Oregon starting on March 11, 2021. Alerts can give people critical moments ranging from seconds to tens of seconds to prepare for shaking, depending on their distance from the earthquake’s epicenter.
New Funding Will Advance Oregon’s Part in the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System
The U.S. Geologic Survey announced $1.6 million in federal funding toward Oregon’s efforts to continue upgrading its portion of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System. With the funds, the Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon will finish installing new seismic monitoring stations on the Southern and Central Oregon coast.
Funding Flows to ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System in Oregon
The Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon will receive another round of federal funding — worth about $400,000 — to continue their research into earthquake early warning systems.