About SSA

Our Community

The Seismological Society of America (SSA) was born in the aftershocks of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, as engineers, mathematicians and geologists united to learn more about the devastating event. From these earliest days, SSA has been committed to advancing seismology and sharing research with the public to help build an earthquake-aware world. While the home base for our nonprofit organization remains in California, more than 40 percent of our nearly 2,800 members live and work outside the U.S. Visit the membership page to learn more about joining our community.

Our Passion

SSA scientists and engineers seek to understand how, where, when and why earthquakes occur. They are driven by a desire to mitigate seismic hazards. Their expertise informs plans for safer buildings and roads and improves emergency responses. Keeping a scientific eye on nuclear weapons testing and chemical explosions, they work in the service of international treaties and a more peaceful world.

Our Work

The Society’s journals, the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA)Seismological Research Letters (SRL) and The Seismic Record (TSR), are the leading source of peer-reviewed research in seismology and related disciplines. We guide the next generation of seismologists, recognizing their excellence with our awards, building their networks through our travel grant programs and furthering their professional development with mentoring, workshops and conferences. SSA collaborates with more than 40 other geosciences organizations worldwide, ensuring that the voice of seismology reaches policymakers, educators and journalists.

Earthquakes are happening all the time inside Louisa Brotherson’s lab...
Read our At Work column to meet our members and learn more about the broad span of disciplines and careers within seismology.

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