Images

Federal, state, local and University of Hawai´i leaders and students celebrate the creation of a new facility that will monitor volcanoes and support conservation science.

Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, presented with lei by David Phillips, Deputy Scientist-in-Charge of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, during a ceremony to celebrate the creation of a new facility that will monitor volcanoes and support conservation science.

Earthquake Lake, which formed when the Madison River was blocked by a landslide that occurred as a consequence of the Hebgen Lake earthquake in 1959.  The lake inundated existing forest, now marked by standing dead trees in the lake water. The landslide scar is visible on the side of the mountain at the far end of the lake.

Map of Geyser Hill, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, showing selected thermal features, including new and reactivated features that were active during the May-June 2023 thermal unrest.  Map prepared by by Kiernan Folz-Donahue, Yellowstone National Park.

Hydrothermal explosion crater that has existed since at least 1954 located just southwest of The Gap in Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park. Photo taken in June 2023 by Lauren Harrison.

Map of continuous Global Positioning System (GPS), semipermanent GPS, borehole strainmeters, and borehole tiltmeters that provide surface deformation monitoring capability in and around Yellowstone National Park. Red line denotes boundary of Yellowstone Caldera.

A garter snake along Violet Creek near the Mary Mountain Trail in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park. This snake used the geothermally warmed creek to thermoregulate during near-freezing overnight conditions. USGS photo by Stanley Mordensky, June 2023.

Thermal feature UNNG-GHG-17a, not far from Sponge Geyser on Geyser Hill in Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.  The feature formed during a period of thermal unrest that began in May 2023 and threw debris and hot water onto the adjacent boardwalk, which was closed for safety.  National Park Service photo by Kiernan Folz-Donahue, May 31, 2023.

A helicopter overflight on May 23, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No active lava was present in the crater, with only scattered warm spots on the crater floor.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicists are performing the annual GPS survey of Mauna Loa. Most Mauna Loa GPS campaign survey sites have been occupied every year since 1996, whereas less active volcanoes Hualālai and Haleakalā are surveyed every 3–5 years. USGS image by A. Ellis.

A helicopter overflight on May 23, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No active lava was present in the crater, with only scattered warm spots on the crater floor.

Another aerial view of the Vibroseis truck near Maunaulu in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The truck is generating seismic signals that will help to provide a new detailed view of shallow subsurface structures and the magma system beneath Kīlauea volcano’s summit.

Another GPS survey benchmark being occupied on Mauna Loa. The metal disk on the ground beneath the tripod is the benchmark, which is cemented to the lava flow surface.

During the annual Mauna Loa GPS campaign, scientists temporarily deploy a number of GPS instruments at established benchmarks; their recorded positions can be compared with those from previous years to discern subtle patterns of ground deformation associated with volcanic activity.

The Vibroseis vehicle has been operating on roads in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and in the Kīlauea summit region for the past several weeks. The vehicle belongs to the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental facility at the University of Texas at Austin, which is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation.

This aerial view, looking east across Halema‘uma‘u crater floor, shows the complex features formed during recent Kīlauea summit eruptions.

HVO scientists observed no changes to Kīlauea summit during a routine monitoring overflight the morning of May 23, 2023. Mauna Loa is visible in the background of the image. USGS image by K. Mulliken.

Wendy Stovall photographed at a monitoring station in the Prince William Sound, Alaska. 

Two USGS scientists are seen here installing a seismic node. This node is one of over 1,800 that are currently being deployed for a survey designed to image structures beneath Kīlauea's summit. After the seismic nodes, which will blend into the natural landscape, are deployed, a large vehicle will slowly traverse roads near Kīlauea’s summit in May.

This week, USGS Volcano Science Center scientists from other locations are helping the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to deploy the 1,800 seismic nodes (small earthquake-detecting devices) across Kīlauea summit region.

This view of Halema‘uma‘u was captured from partway up the northwestern wall of the crater by an HVO geologist visiting the area on Wednesday, May 3, to collect geologic samples. The basin of the lava lake from the end of the most recent eruption is defined by the steaming area in the upper center of the frame. USGS image by M. Zoeller.