News
News Releases
Browse through a comprehensive list of all USGS national and state news items.
News Media Advisory: Hurricane Hortense
The especially wet Hurricane Hortense has U.S. Geological Survey hydrologists and technicians working around the clock to measure its impact on the rivers of Puerto Rico. The Rio de la Plata in northeastern Puerto Rico, for example, has reached its highest level ever, exceeding the previous record high flow of Jan. 5, 1992, when the river reached a flow of 82 billion gallons per day.
Potomac River Flood, Water Quality Measurements Scheduled in Washington on Monday
Measurements of the volume and rate of flows of the flooding Potomac River will be made on the 14th St. Bridge beginning at about 10:30 a.m. Monday (Sept. 9, 1996) by the U.S. Geological Survey. Measuring efforts by the USGS using special cranes and weights will continue for several hours.
Potomac River Advisory—Waiting for Fran
While the metropolitan area awaits the rains from Hurricane Fran, the flow of the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. is already well above normal, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
News Media Advisory: Hurricane Fran
From coastal erosion to measuring the storm surge and flooding as well as providing maps of affected areas, the U.S. Geological Survey is gearing up to provide information on Hurricane Fran as the storm develops, including real-time data, from its offices in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
A Whirlwind of Activity—USGS Responds to Hurricanes
What happens when a hurricane threatens? Homeowners in the path of the storm check their insurance policies and their shutters, vacationers decide to head inland or take their chances at the beach--and all over the U.S. Geological Survey, people get busy.
Easter Islands/Pacific Ocean Earthquake
A preliminary magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred on Thurs., Sept. 5, 1996, in the Easter Island chain in the south Pacific, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Taiwan Earthquake
A preliminary magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurred on Taiwan, Thurs., Sept. 5, 1996, at 7:42 p.m. EDT (7:42 a.m., Sept. 6, local time on Taiwan).
USGS Rolla Mapping Center Receives Vice President’s Hammer Award
The 350 employees of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mid-Continent Mapping Center, U.S. Department of the Interior, received Vice President Al Gore’s Hammer Award in Rolla on September 4. The Mid-Continent Mapping Center employees were honored for their team-based approach to streamlining operations and making them more responsive to customers.
Latest Score: Mill Creek 1,473, Spring Creek 1,312
The Nation has nearly 2 million names for its geographic features -- mountains, town, deserts, streams and everything in between.
Walter P. Ketterer, Retired USGS Scientific Publications Chief
Walter P. Ketterer, 80, of Reston, Va., died on August 17, 1996, at the Hospice of Northern Va., of kidney failure. Ketterer was the former chief of the scientific publications program of the U.S. Geological Survey.
June Floods Trigger Pollution Peak On Potomac River
An unusual influx of atrazine, nitrogen and phosphorus to the Potomac River was carried by flood waters in mid-June and briefly elevated concentrations of these agricultural chemicals, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Print-On-Demand Maps Coming From 3M and USGS
Print-on-demand maps are coming soon, thanks to a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey and 3M of St. Paul, Minn.