Welcome to the USGS - U.S. Geological Survey

USGS - science for a changing world

USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

U.S. Geological Survey

Maps, Imagery, and Publications Hazards Newsroom Education Jobs Partnerships Library About USGS Social Media

Climate and Land Use Change

Core Science Systems

Energy and Minerals, and Environmental Health

Natural Hazards

Science Quality and Integrity are the bedrock of our science.

Real-Time

Earthquakes

	World-wide
	United States

Did You Feel It?

WaterWatch - Current Streamflow Conditions

Landslide monitoring

Current Volcano Alerts

Landsat (EarthNow!)

Natural Hazards Support System

USGS Emergency Management

USGS Store

Purchase USGS maps, products and recreation passes.

USGS Calendar

View our calendar of events or download the PDF version.

USGS Oil Spill Response

DOI Recovery Effort

Recovery.gov
Interior Recovery

Science Features

Top Stories
Science Picks

The USGS Monitors Earth’s Magnetic Field to Prepare Citizens for Magnetic Storms

100 Years of Volcano Monitoring in the United States

USGS Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Project Goes National

Youth at USGS: Hydrotech Josh Latimore

The Other 364 Days of the Year: The Real Lives of Wild Reindeer

The USGS Monitors Earth’s Magnetic Field to Prepare Citizens for Magnetic Storms
Everyone is familiar with weather systems on earth like rain, wind and snow. But space weather – variable conditions in the space surrounding Earth – has important consequences for our lives inside Earth’s atmosphere.

100 Years of Volcano Monitoring in the United States
Modern volcano monitoring in the United States began with the founding of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in 1912. Living with volcanoes

USGS Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Project Goes National
Scientists and communities are working together to make science more useful and communities safer. What one emergency manager has to say.

Youth at USGS: Hydrotech Josh Latimore
A summer intern turned permanent employee discusses his career path. Most memorable moment

The Other 364 Days of the Year: The Real Lives of Wild Reindeer
Caribou expert Layne Adams discusses the lives of reindeer — apart from their famous role on Christmas Eve. How they survive the cold.

Gas Hydrates and Climate Warming

Tue, 24 Jan 2012

Despite news articles warning of large-scale releases of methane due to climate change, recent research indicates that most of the world’s gas hydrate deposits should remain stable for the next few thousand years.

The View from Space: Landsat’s Role in Tracking Forty Years of Global Changes

Wed, 18 Jan 2012

Join us on February 1 to view the Earth from space, and discuss the profound impact Landsat has on many facets of our economy, safety, and environment.

Coral Reef Disease Hits Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

Tue, 17 Jan 2012

Scientists have discovered an outbreak of coral disease called Montipora White Syndrome in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. The affected coral are of the species Montipora capitata, also known as rice coral.

View all Science Picks

News Releases

Get full article
Get summary only
Get by location
(X) close menu

Quick look:
A pioneering airborne electromagnetic survey in the Yukon Flats near Fort Yukon, Alaska, by the U.S. Geological Survey has yielded unprecedented images of the presence and absence of permafrost to depths of roughly 328 feet...Airborne Geophysical Survey Offers New Insight Into Permafrost in Alaska
(Released: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:44:10 EDT)

Quick look:
Measurable improvements in air quality and visibility, human health, and water quality in many acid-sensitive lakes and streams, have been achieved through emissions reductions from electric generating power plants and resulting decreases in acid rain...Acid Rain Study Show Substantial Decreases, But More Progress Is Needed
(Released: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:23:54 EDT)

Quick look:
HAWAI`I ISLAND, Hawaii — In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory celebrates its 100th anniversary of studying the volcanoes’ workings and disseminating cutting-edge volcano science throughout the world. Many public events are planned to celebrate the centennial of HVO, the first volcano observatory in the United States....Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Marks a Century of Research and Monitoring
(Released: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:02:45 EDT)

Latest Publications

Quick look:
White, Melissa N.; Ramsey, David W.; Miller, C. Dan

More than 500 volcanic vents have been identified in the State of California. At least 76 of these vents have erupted, some repeatedly, during the past 10,000 yr. Past volcanic activity has ranged in scale and type from small rhyolitic and basaltic eruptions through large catastrophic rhyolitic eruptions. Sooner or later, volcanoes inDatabase for potential hazards from future volcanic eruptions in California
(Released: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00 -0700)

Quick look:
Houska, Treva R.; Johnson, A. P.

The Global Visualization Viewer (GloVis) trifold provides basic information for online access to a subset of satellite and aerial photography collections from the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center archive. The GloVis (http://glovis.usgs.gov/) browser-based utility allows users to search and download National AeGloVis
(Released: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00 -0700)

Quick look:
Goonan, Thomas G.

Lithium has a number of uses but one of the most valuable is as a component of high energy-density rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Because of concerns over carbon dioxide footprint and increasing hydrocarbon fuel cost (reduced supply), lithium may become even more important in large batteries for powering all-electric and hybrid vehicles. It would take 1.4 to 3.0 Lithium use in batteries
(Released: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00 -0700)

CoreCast

Connecting People and Urban Streams
Videographer: Douglas A. Harned
(5/11/2011 | Length: 5:50)

Watch video, get transcripts and links

- More podcasts

Multimedia Gallery

Latest Photo or Image
Young Atlantic Salmon Quick look:
These two-day old Atlantic salmon were hatched at the USGS Tunison Lab and will eventually be released in Lake Ontario tributaries. A new, sophisticated fish rearing facility in Cortland, N.Y. will help restore Atlantic salmon, bloater, and lake herring to Lake Ontario, strengthening the ...

Latest Video or Animation
Lower Elwha River, Ground-Based Lidar Fly-Through Quick look:
This video shows a virtual fly-through of a detailed, highly accurate three-dimensional model of the lower Elwha River, Washington. The video begins about 0.8 river kilometers upstream (south) of the bridge on Elwha River Road. The virtual flight path then proceeds downstream approximately 5.5 ...

USGS CoreCast: Science Helping to Save Lives in Africa

Latest Audio or Podcast
Science Helping to Save Lives in Africa Quick look:
Drought in Africa is of increasing concern as millions are suffering from malnutrition and difficulty growing crops and supporting livestock. Stunted growth in children due to malnutrition was also recently linked to climate change. Join us as we talk with USGS scientists Jim Verdin, Jim Rowland ...

- More images, video, and audio

Search USGS

Science Topics

Browse USGS topics of interest:
Avian Influenza Climate Change Contaminants Droughts Earthquakes Energy and Minerals Floods Geospatial Analysis Groundwater, Surface water	Human Health Invasive Species Map Interfaces Maps and Atlases Microbiology Real-time data Remote Sensing Volcanoes Water Quality Wildfires

View all USGS science topics or see more topics at Science.gov.

Science In Your Backyard

Image Map - U.S. Map

See also:
Coastal/Offshore | International

Frequently Asked Questions

Are earthquake probabilities or forecasts the same as prediction?

Why are coral reefs in peril and what is being done to protect them?

What is an earthquake and what causes them to happen?

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey | DOI Inspector General
URL: http://www.usgs.gov/default.asp
Page Contact Information: Ask USGS
Page Last Modified: Saturday, August 27, 2011