Images

A student chalkboard word cloud at the Caminos Del Agua Water Festival, Los Planes watershed, Baja California Sur, Mexico. (Víctor Sevilla Unda, Autonomous University of Baja California Sur)

Erosion on the Rio Coca and its tributary, the Rio Loco (foreground), after a waterfall collapse, Ecuador. (Molly Wood, USGS)

The international, interagency team during a field site visit to the Río Coca, January 24, 2024. The team includes members from the Electric Corporation of Ecuador (CELEC), US Army Corps of Engineers, and USGS. (Pablo Espinoza, Electric Corp. Ecuador (CELEC))

Rio Coca, Ecuador, near current (January, 2024) location of the erosion front, which is migrating upstream toward the intake of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower facility. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Damage to the E45 road caused by valley-wall erosion following the 2020 failure of a lava dam, Rio Coca valley, Ecuador, January 2024. (Amy East, USGS)

Erosion on the Río Coca upstream of the former San Rafael waterfall site, Ecuador, showing a newly opened canyon that has formed since 2020. (Molly Wood, USGS) 
  

Erosion in the Río Coca valley upstream of the former waterfall location, showing major damage to the roadway over the Río Marker, a tributary to the Río Loco, and temporary roadway access bridge. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Dr. Cliff Taylor in field with colleagues of the Botswana Geoscience, eastern Botswana.

Sediment deposits at the discharge outlet of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower facility on the Rio Coca, Ecuador. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Technician from the Karthala Volcano Observatory downloading data from a seismic monitoring station, established by the USGS in Comoros.

Molly Wood at a viewpoint on the Rio Coca, Ecuador, where substantial erosion and landslides have occurred. 

Seismic monitoring station established by the USGS for the Karthala Volcano Observatory in Comoros. Photo taken near Samba-Madi, Grande Comore, Comoros.

Regressive erosion on the Rio Coca upstream of the former San Rafael waterfall site, Ecuador. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Rapid erosion of hillsides along the Rio Coca in Ecuador after collapse of a lava dam, April, 2023. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Streambank erosion on the Rio Coca after a waterfall collapse, Ecuador. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Sediment and flow monitoring station on the Rio Quijos, Rio Coca watershed, Ecuador. Rio Quijos joins Rio Salado to form Rio Coca upstream of a hydropower facility. The station is jointly operated by the Ecuador National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology and the Electric Corporation of Ecuador (CELEC). (Molly Wood, USGS)

Upstream diversion dam at Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower facility on the Rio Coca, Ecuador. (Molly Wood, USGS)

Seismic monitoring equipment inside tunnel of USGS global seismic monitoring station, Mt. Furi, Ethiopia.

Dr. Ayele Atalay, Addis Ababa University, at entrance of USGS global seismic monitoring station, Mt. Furi, Ethiopia.

Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. A rushing river in the foreground is bordered by green vegetation, with waterfalls in background.

Iguazu Falls view from above, on the border of Brazil and Argentina. Green vegetation surrounds the waterfalls.