August 22, 2022 — View of the summit region of Ta‘ū island

A view of the summit region of Ta‘ū island, in the Manu‘a island group of American Samoa. Ta‘ū island is the exposed top of a volcano that formed as a result of volcanic activity at the Samoa hotspot. Most of the volcano is under the ocean surface. The exposed part of this volcano that forms Ta‘ū island is covered in dense jungle vegetation though scoria cones are evident on its slopes. USGS photo by Drew Downs.