Images

An eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano began on September 10, 2023. The main fountain, which HVO geologists estimate is approximately 50 meters tall, is on the eastern margin of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. As of approximately 4:30 p.m.

From the Uēkahuna overlook, the new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea is visible. The farthest east fissure is near the to margin of downdropped block that formed during the 2018 summit collapse. The base of the main fissure, which is farthest west (right on the image), is approximately 70 meters wide.

The new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on September 10, 2023. After about an hour of increased seismic activity and uplift, HVO scientists observed the start of the eruption at approximately 3:15 p.m. HST.

Photograph of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Photo taken on September 8, 2023.

Screen shot visualization of wind direction and velocity from a coupled/fire atmosphere model run of a wildfire (Dude Fire).

Cover image for the video Natural Hazards We Might Face, in support of National Preparedness Month.

Things to know about ShakeAlert graphic that shows the limitations of earthquake early warning.

Animated GIF of a cobbled streambed along the Elwha River in Washington State, from The Elwha River: Landscapes of Recovery Geonarrative 

TYPES OF LANDSLIDES

Creep is the imperceptibly slow, steady, downward movement of slope-forming soil or rock. Movement is caused by shear stress sufficient to produce permanent deformation, but too small to produce shear failure.

Debris avalanche: This is a variety of very rapid to extremely rapid debris flow.

Rockfalls are abrupt movements of masses of geologic materials, such as rocks and boulders, which become detached from steep slopes or cliffs. Separation occurs along discontinuities such as fractures, joints, and bedding planes, and movement occurs by free-fall, bouncing, and rolling.

Earthflows have a characteristic "hourglass" shape. The slope material liquefies and runs out, forming a bowl or depression at the head. The flow itself is elongated and usually occurs in fine-grained materials or clay-bearing rocks on moderate slopes and under saturated conditions. However, dry flows of granular material are also possible.

A block slide is a translational slide in which the moving mass consists of a single unit or a few closely related units that move downslope as a relatively coherent mass.

Translational slide: In this type of slide, the landslide mass moves along a roughly planar surface with little rotation or backward tilting.

Lateral spreads are distinctive because they usually occur on very gentle slopes or flat terrain. The dominant mode of movement is lateral extension accompanied by shear or tensile fractures.

A debris flow is a form of rapid mass movement in which a combination of loose soil, rock, organic matter, air, and water mobilizes as a slurry that flows downslope. Debris flows include <50% fines.

Toppling failures are distinguished by the forward rotation of a unit or units about some pivotal point, below or low in the unit, under the actions of gravity and forces exerted by adjacent units or by fluids in cracks.

Rotational slide: This is a slide in which the surface of rupture is curved concavely upward and the slide movement is roughly rotational about an axis that is parallel to the ground surface and transverse across the slide.

EARTHQUAKES: WHAT YOU FEEL

EARTHQUAKE INTENSITY

View from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, showing the new lava flows that have covered the crater floor since the morning of June 7, 2023. This photograph, taken the morning of June 8, 2023, shows several active fissure vents that are feeding lava flows that cover the floor of the crater.