Utah Earthquake Working Groups
Working group members include geologists, engineers, seismologists, and geophysicists from the University of Utah, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, UGS, USGS, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and various consulting companies and other government agencies.
2026 Earthquake Working Group Meetings:
Utah Quaternary Fault Parameters (UQFPWG)
Monday, February 9th, 2026 – Utah Department of Natural Resources – Auditorium (1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114)
Virtual and in person options available. Includes lunch and morning and afternoon breaks.
View Agenda
Basin and Range Province Earthquake (BRPEWG)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 – Utah Department of Natural Resources – Auditorium (1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114)
Virtual and in person options available. Includes lunch and morning and afternoon breaks.
View Agenda
QUATERNARY FAULT PARAMETERS
The primary goal of the Utah Quaternary Fault Parameters Working Group (UQFPWG) is to characterize active fault sources in Utah.
LIQUEFACTION ADVISORY GROUP
The Liquefaction Advisory Group continues its long-term goal to produce maps showing annual probabilities of liquefaction and liquefaction-induced ground displacement.
GROUND SHAKING
The Ground Shaking Working Group continues to develop the Wasatch Front Community Velocity Model (CVM) and large-scale earthquake hazard maps for the Wasatch Front.
EARTHQUAKE PROBABILITIES
Active from 2010 to 2016, the Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities developed forecasts of large earthquakes along the Wasatch Front to heighten the public’s awareness and understanding of seismic hazards.
BASIN & RANGE PROVINCE EARTHQUAKE
The Basin and Range Province Earthquake Working Group (BRPEWG) works to develop recommendations from technical experts on seismic-hazard issues in the Basin and Range Province.
BASIN & RANGE PROVINCE SEISMIC HAZARDS SUMMITS
Basin & Range Province Seismic Hazards Summits bring together geologists, seismologists, geodesists, engineers, emergency managers, and policy makers to present and discuss the latest earthquake hazards research in the Basin and Range Province.
In 2003, the UGS and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established four multi-disciplinary earthquake-working groups (Utah Quaternary Fault Parameters Working Group, Utah Liquefaction Advisory Group, Ground Shaking Working Group, and the Earthquake-Induced Landslide Working Group) to coordinate earthquake research in Utah.
These working groups have met each year since 2003, to review research activities, re-evaluate long-term plans for producing earthquake hazard maps, and develop partnerships for investigations. However, the Earthquake-Induced Landslide Working Group has been inactive since 2005.
In 2006, the UGS, Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC), and the USGS established the Basin and Range Province Earthquake Working Group (BRPEWG) to develop Basin and Range Province seismic-hazard consensus recommendations related to future updates of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps. BRPEWGI met in 2006, and BRPEWGII met in 2011.
In 2010, the Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities (WGUEP) was established to support the estimation of probabilities of large earthquakes along the Wasatch Front. The WGUEP will meet about three times per year until the earthquake probability project is completed.
The working group process is funded through a cooperative agreement between the UGS and USGS National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).
