Images

Condylactis gigantea fluourescing on rocks. The anemones are in a tank illuminated by ultraviolet (black) light. The anemones absorb the invisible ultraviolet light and reflect it back as visible bright green light.

Close-up of Colpophyllia natans in shallow water.

Banded iron formation. Core room of Vale do Rio Doce Company, Carajás iron mine. Searching for life on Mars using Mars analogs in Australia.

Drilling for mineral resources near Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Studying an iron mine as Mars analog.

As the Little Androscoggin River flows through western Maine it eventually reaches Snow Falls, a 25 ft cascading waterfall in the town of West Paris. 

USGS hydrologists prepare equipment for multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) land seismic imaging survey. The geophones (in the yellow "land streamer") are pulled behind a vehicle. This relatively new system allows for inexpensive and rapid data acquisition.

USGS hydrologists conduct a multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) land seismic imaging survey. The yellow land streamer contains the geophones and is towed behind a vehicle. This relatively new system allows for inexpensive and rapid data acquisition.

USGS hydrologists prepare equipment for a multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) land seismic imaging survey. In this picture, the accelerated weight-drop energy source (blue box) is attached to the back of a vehicle. This relatively new system allows for inexpensive and rapid data acquisition.

An adult sumatran tiger stands with a sumatran tiger cub.

Installing a water-level monitoring gage, Coosawattee River, Georgia. Two USGS workers installing a "stilling well"s, which is a major component of most systems used to monitor stream stage (gage height). The pipe is placed vertically into the stream and the level of the water in the pipe is continuously monitored and transmitted to USGS water-science offices.

A USGS hydrologist prepares equipment to conduct a gravity survey to evaluate small variations in the earth's gravity field. The USGS Office of Groundwater Branch of Geophysics develops and tests new tools and field methods to support USGS analysis of groundwater flow systems.

More mesquite were visible, and prickly pear had replaced cholla as the dominant cacti. (Mitchel P. McClaran).

USGS hydrologist collects location data using GPS during a near-surface geophysics survey. The survey was conducted as part of an applied research effort by the USGS Office of Groundwater Branch of Geophysics in 2007.

A fire scar is visible on the distant hills. During the dry season brush fires are common in Salinas, Puerto Rico. The vegetation near the river is greener and burns less often then the hillslopes. The location is 17º59'15"N, 66º17'40"W and the elevation is 10 m. 

A cone located on Pavonis Mons, Mars. Pavonis Mons is a shield volcano in the Tharsis region. This cone’s location in a volcanically active area, its parasitic position on Pavonis Mons, and its breach are all familiar to Earth cinder cones. It’s thus very likely that this is a cinder cone. (HiRISE image PSP_002671_1790)

Mount Elbert gas hydrate stratigraphic test well on the North Slope of Alaska.

A larger view of the area in which possible tumuli are located. The mounds are at the southern edge of Elysium Planitia. Elysium Planitia is a wide plain that lies to the south of the volcanic region Elysium. These features are found in a region of uplift that is theorized to be a massive lava inflation feature.

Fractured mounds at the southern edge of Elysium Planitia. Elysium Planitia is a wide plain that lies to the south of the volcanic region Elysium. These features are found in a region of uplift that is theorized to be a massive lava inflation feature.

The dried siliceous skeleton of the deep sea glass sponge, Euplectella.

The dried siliceous skeleton of the deep sea glass sponge, Euplectella.