Images

Mark Anderson, Director of the USGS South Dakota Water Science Center, dedicated a flood marker at Cleghorn Springs Fish Hatchery in Rapid City, SD, in June 2012 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the devastating 1972 flood in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

This composite image combines a thermal image with a normal photograph, and shows the recent breakouts on the pali and coastal plain in Royal Gardens subdivision. The two large vegetated areas in this view are some of the only remaining portions of Royal Gardens not covered by lava.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

A major eruption of Mount Hood would pose a great hazard to the regional economy.

A circular lava pond has recently been active near the eastern rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Today, the lava pond had low-level but continuous spattering from its eastern margin, and a mostly crusted lava surface.

The lava flows on the coastal plain are still slowly advancing towards the water. On today's overflight, the active breakouts were about 750 m (0.5 miles) from the ocean. These flows have once again entered the National Park.

Partially submerged eelgrass bed at low tide in Fay Bainbridge Park on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Eelgrass is an underwater plant that is a common sight on Puget Sound beaches when the tide is out. Healthy eelgrass indicates that water clarity is high.

Preview image for video: shows the impressive spattering at the western margin of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u. The continuous spattering is often punctuated by bursts which throw lava onto the ledge (left portion of image), and this accumulating lava is building a spatter rampart.

The spatter from the lava lake was landing, in part, on the ledge adjacent to the lake, and then flowing away in a small channel toward the southern side of the vent where it was ponding and cooling. Notice the wrinkled crust on the surface of the lake.

Preview image for video: shows the impressive spattering at the western margin of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u. The continuous spattering is often punctuated by bursts which throw lava onto the ledge (left portion of image), and this accumulating lava is building a spatter rampart.

The lava lake at Kīlauea's summit was about 65 m (215 ft) below the floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater today, with impressive spattering along its western edge.

The level of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u has been relatively high over the past two days, following summit inflation, with lava close to the level of the deep inner ledge. Continuous spattering at the southern lake margin tosses spatter onto the crusted lake surface as well as onto the rim of the ledge, building a steep spatter rampart (left side of image).

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

View looking north-northwest at the flow field on the coastal plain. The light-colored flows at the center of the image are active. Surface activity is relatively weak, and the flows are making little, if any, headway toward the ocean. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is visible faintly through the haze at the upper right side of the photo.

View looking east at the lava lake, 40-m (130-ft) across, that circulates within a shallow pit on the northeast side of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The heavy fume in the background is the trace of the lava tube that carries lava downslope to the active flows near the coast.

Preview image for video: shows spattering that is typical at the margins of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater. The slow migration of the lava lake surface is normally towards the area of spattering, where the lava sinks back into the magmatic system. Spatter in this clip is being thrown about 5-10 meters (yards) in height.

Map of the summit area of Kīlauea showing the location of the Halema‘uma‘u Overlook vent, and road and trail closures in response to the eruption. Kīlauea's caldera is located within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Pele's hair covers much of the ground in the area immediately downwind of the vent at Halema‘uma‘u crater. Accumulations about a meter (yard) wide are found on the windward sides of the curbs in the Halema‘uma‘u parking lot, which is closed to the public because of the ongoing volcanic hazard.

The flows on the coastal plain continue to take their time on their path to the ocean. Today, relatively sluggish pāhoehoe breakouts were active about 1.1 km (0.7 miles) from the water. In the upper right portion of the photograph, fume sources on the pali mark the path of the lava tube coming through Royal Gardens subdivision.

Traditional construction throughout Burma utilizes bamboo and other lightweight building materials, resulting in structures that are not generally durable but are quite earthquake-safe.  As traditional structures such as this house give way to more modern masonry buildings, seismic risk will increase. 

The historic record documents many instances of damage to pagodas throughout Burma's cities and the countryside.  These ancient and beautiful structures bear witness to a significant level of seismic hazard.