When I created this earthquake risk map for Assignment 4 of my GIS course, I wasn’t just pushing polygons—I was illustrating potential disaster zones. Using data from heavy hitters like USGS, Esri, and NOAA, I mapped out where the United States literally stands on shaky ground.
What’s On the Map?
This map, titled “Earthquake Risks in the United States,” visualizes the overlapping reality of seismic activity and population vulnerability. I used the WGS 1984 Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere) projection—because if it’s good enough for Esri’s basemaps, it’s good enough for my assignment.
Key elements include:
- Active Earthquake Faults: Think of these as nature’s ticking time bombs, quietly waiting to disrupt your morning coffee.
- Risk Levels (0–100): Areas are classified by earthquake risk intensity. Spoiler: the West Coast is unsurprisingly lit up like a Christmas tree.
And yes, I made sure to include Alaska and Hawaii because continental bias is so 1990s.
Design Choices That Weren’t Just About Looking Pretty
This wasn’t just a “make it look cool” exercise. Cartographic design is about making data digestible.
- Color Gradient: I used a graduated scale for risk levels so your brain can instantly interpret where not to build your dream house.
- Legend & Scale: I kept them clear, compact, and usable—even for people who last looked at a map in 6th grade geography class.
- Minimalist Labeling: No clutter here—just enough to guide, not overwhelm.
Why It Matters
We’ve all seen the chaos that follows a major quake—especially in California, which is basically built on a tectonic highwire. By mapping risk, we provide agencies, developers, and planners with something better than gut instinct. We give them data-driven foresight.
And if you’re just a curious citizen? Now you know whether to double your home insurance.
Lessons From the Ground Up
This assignment wasn’t just about turning in a PDF. It reinforced the importance of:
- Clean symbology
- Purposeful projections
- Using data to tell a story (a scary one, in this case)
So here it is—my humble but data-rich contribution to seismic awareness. Let’s hope the ground stays still…but if it doesn’t, at least we’ve got the map.