Images

Study area map of coastal South Carolina

Mount Rainier rises above Tacoma, Washington and boat harbor, which may be impacted during the next eruption of the volcano.

USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center field crew showing off the new magnetometer, named Magnetron, on fantail of Research Vessel (R/V) Parke Snavely.

Stellwagen Bank project research areas in the United States and Canada

Schematic of system designed to control movement and logging of data collected by the Moving Arm Tripod at Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory in 2011.

At Kīlauea, when the lava column drops below the water table, groundwater may come into contact with with magma or hot rocks, causing violent steam explosions.

Bathymetry of the New England inner shelf and south shore of Martha’s Vineyard with model grids

A new fissure eruption in September 2011 on the flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea Volcano's east rift zone reminds us of the need to be aware of our ever-changing volcanic environment on Hawai‘i Island. "Volcano Awareness Month" events in January 2012 offer island residents and visitors many opportunities to learn more about Hawai‘i's active volcanoes.

This thermal image shows the western portion of the West Ka‘ili‘ili ocean entry, which hosts numerous small entry points. Active breakouts can be seen on the coastal plain along the west margin of the flow field.

Lava has continued to enter the ocean at West Ka‘ili‘ili, with numerous entry points scattered along a broad section of the coast. The small boat in the center of the image provides a rough sense of scale.

View of scattered pāhoehoe lobes and toes on the coastal plain, just inland from the ocean entry.

One of the individual streams of lava cascading over the sea cliff, producing a thick steam plume at the water's edge.

View of scattered pāhoehoe lobes and toes on the coastal plain, just inland from the ocean entry.

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.

This thermal image shows the western portion of the West Ka‘ili‘ili ocean entry, which hosts numerous small entry points. Active breakouts can be seen on the coastal plain along the west margin of the flow field.

One of the individual streams of lava cascading over the sea cliff, producing a thick steam plume at the water's edge.

This skylight provided a clear view of the lava stream inside the lava tube on today's overflight, and a swiftly moving current could easily be seen.

This near-vertical view from the helicopter shows the surface of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u.

This skylight provided a clear view of the lava stream inside the lava tube on today's overflight, and a swiftly moving current could easily be seen.

This near-vertical view from the helicopter shows the surface of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u.

This image of a dusty plume produced by rocks collapsing from the wall of the eruptive vent within Kīlauea Volcano’s Halema‘uma‘u Crater was captured by a USGS time-lapse camera on December 21, 2011.  Vigorous spattering on the lava lake deep within the vent created the orange glow visible at the base of the plume.