Images

Belle Philibosian working with Gordon Seitz (CGS) and Stephan Bock (NAWS) to document surface ruptures of the M7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake, July 2019.

House destroyed by Palu earthquake-induced liquefaction. Note standing water which indicates a nearly surface-level water table that contributed to the widespread liquefaction.

Data locations for Ice Island Arctic Ocean Heat Flow Studies

Different portions of the ponds have different colors, presumably reflecting different amounts or varying chemistry of dissolved particles in the water.

Two red sea urchins (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) sit on the deck of the R/V Falkor. These sea urchins were collected during the #HuntingBubbles research cruise led by the USGS and Schmidt Ocean Institute, which focused on exploring and understanding methane seeps and the communities that depend on them along the Cascadia Margin.

On August 7, HVO geologists measured temperatures and documented the rock layers exposed as sections of Highway 132 buried by lava during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption are "ripped" (shown here) to reopen the road. USGS photo by C. Parcheta, 08-07-2019.

Marine geochemist Renee Takesue collects a sample of exposed mud in a marsh near Sonoma Creek, California. She will look here and in nearby San Pablo Bay for chemicals from the 2017 Nuns Wildfire that can harm wildlife. The stormy winter of 2018 may have transported these contaminants from the Sonoma Creek watershed into San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

A USGS scientist surveys GPS Ground Control Point locations on North Topsail Beach and within the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, North Carolina. These data are used to validate previously surveyed aerial imagery and aid in Structure from Motion (SFM) processing. Specifically, this scientist was collecting data to look at coastal change due to Hurricane Florence.

The photo above has been cropped here to better show agitation on the pond surface. The agitation could be due to escaping gases from below rising through the water, or from the water boiling, or, perhaps, a combination of both.

USGS researchers have been monitoring changes in a breach in the island that occurred during Hurricane Sandy (modified from  Hapke et al., 2017). 
 

The CMHRP has been conducting scientific investigations at Fire Island in order to protect natural and cultural resources.

USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory staff, June 2019

During field observations on August 8, HVO scientists noted that all three ponds are now joined, indicating that the water at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u continues to slowly rise. Rangefinder measurements also suggested continued pond deepening.

Synchrotron X-Ray microtomography 3D image (a) and cathodoluminescence slice (b) from the same reentrant-bearing quartz crystal from the Lava Creek Tuff. The reentrants are in darker blue in (a) and the black cavities in (b). Note their relationship to quartz growth bands. Red domains are small magnetite crystals.

USGS studies the growth rates of corals at a network of coral growth assessment stations throughout Buck Island National Monument in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. These data provide resource managers with information needed to understand how coral populations are doing in the park.

A close-up of the water ponds at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u, using a zoom lens on the thermal camera. The smaller hot patches above the main pond show areas of warm water in the smaller ponds.

The water level continues to slowly rise at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u, resulting in enlargement and merging of the small ponds. Today, the second and third ponds (top of image) observed over the weekend have merged, and are nearly connected to the main pond (bottom of image). For scale, the main pond is about 15 meters (yards) wide.

Zooming in on the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u, the small puddle between the two greenish ponds is more visible. USGS photo by J. Babb, 08/04/2019.

With the help of a powerful telephoto lens, HVO geologists confirmed today that there are two areas of ponded water at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u. Using a laser range finder from their observation site, they were able to measure the two greenish ponds.

This image shows an area of greenish fume (near top of photo) east of the water pond (center) at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u. This fume could suggest another emerging area of ponded water, but this has not yet been confirmed. HVO continues to closely monitor the area, and will report any significant changes.

While making observations today, HVO geologists noted a koa‘e kea (white-tailed tropicbird) gliding across the ponded water at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u. The bird is visible in the top left quarter of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick, 08/03/2019.