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Dive into the world of science! Read these stories and narratives to learn about news items, hot topics, expeditions underway, and much more.
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck north-central Peru on May 26, 2019 at 2:41 am local time (07:41 UTC).
Unmanned Aircraft Used to “Sniff” Methane Gas Escaping from Thawing Permafrost
The team at the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of several finalists nominated for the 2019 Service to America Medals.
In September 2004, USGS scientists detected sudden, but unmistakable, signs that Mount St. Helens was waking up. Volcano monitors had picked up the occurrence of hundreds of small earthquakes and other signals that the volcano’s crater floor had begun to rise. Within a week, several eruptions blasted clouds of ash into the atmosphere, and soon after, a new lava dome emerged in the crater.
Seven months after their home base in the Florida Panhandle was demolished by Hurricane Michael, U.S. Geological Survey sea turtle researchers are headed back into the field on May 1, the start of nesting season for Florida's sea turtles.
In the far north of Alaska, near the giant Prudhoe Bay oil field, an international research consortium has been studying the potential of an altogether different energy source. In late December of 2018, drilling operations confirmed the existence of two high-quality reservoirs that were fully saturated with a potential alternative fuel source: gas hydrate.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
USGS crews continue fieldwork in response to the ongoing flooding in the Midwest. Nearly 70 USGS gages in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota are above minor flood stage with more rain forecast in the coming days.
The Oso (SR 530) Landslide in Washington - Five Years Later
The following is an updated version of a story first published in March of 2015.
This week marks a significant milestone in the conservation and recovery of the endangered whooping crane. On March 11 and 13, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center transferred its last two cranes of the approximately 75 that were in its flock to other institutions, closing out more than 50 years of the center’s whooping crane research and captive breeding success.
Budget Focuses on Priorities Supporting American Energy Enterprise, National Security, and Natural Hazard Response Efforts
Following an assessment of geologic carbon storage potential in sedimentary rocks, the USGS has published a comprehensive review of potential carbon storage in igneous and metamorphic rocks through a process known as carbon mineralization.