Multimedia Gallery

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the south island of New Zealand near Christchurch on February 21, resulting in 75 lives being lost. This earthquake was an aftershock from the Sept. 4^th magnitude 7.0 earthquake that occurred in nearby Darfield last year. So why did this lesser magnitude earthquake result in more damage and lives lost? 

Jennifer LaVista

Sounds of lava lake activity within Kilauea Volcano's summit vent inside Halema`uma`u Crater on the afternoon of February 14, 2011. The continuous "crashing wave" noise is the sound of churning lava as gases are released from the lake surface, which is in nearly constant motion. The discontinuous sharp "pops" occur when rocks falling from the vent wall hit the lava lake

Though the Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system on Earth, the basin has the potential for local shortages, according to a new basin-wide water availability assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. Kara Capelli spoke with Howard Reeves, USGS scientist and lead author on the report, about why uneven distribution of water can cause local shortages and conflicts. 

Beginning on Christmas Eve, 1861, and continuing into early 1862, an extreme series of storms lasting 45 days struck California. The storms caused severe flooding, turning the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea. The storms were caused by atmospheric rivers, a hurricane-like phenomenon that occurs on the west coast.  A storm comparable to that of 1861-1862 could occur

With the New Year came a number of mass animal deaths across the country, including the 3-5,000 red-winged blackbirds that fell near Beebe, AR, beginning on New Year’s Eve. The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. is investigating the cause of the AR bird deaths, as well as the smaller die-off of about 500 birds that occurred in

For this month’s episode we discuss the water-quality parameter turbidity. More than just a way to measure dirty water, turbidity can serve as a useful indicator of the ecological health of a watershed. Join us, as we sit down with USGS scientist Heather Bragg to discuss differences in how turbidity is measured, how the data are used, and where you can find real-time

In this month’s episode we discuss how 3-D modeling is used to examine groundwater in the Columbia Plateau. USGS hydrologist Erick Burns describes how his team modeled the 53,000 mi² plateau, how this information is currently used, and what implications it has for the future. Join us, as we explore how cutting edge science today is used to solve tomorrow’s

Damage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, and this imbalance may be to blame for the more than 1 million deaths of bats due to WNS thus far. Paul Cryan, USGS bat ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, discusses this newly published USGS research.

A trio of USGS scientists has been involved in the excavation and study of a major animal and plant fossil discovery in Snowmass Village, Colo., which provides more than 100,000 years of vegetation and climate records for the area. This recent find includes Columbian mammoths, mastodons, extinct bison, Ice Age deer, and a 9-foot ground sloth, and the USGS team is studying

This month's episode focuses on one of the most useful geographic tools scientists have for studying our natural world: Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR. LiDAR is a powerful data collection technique that can be used to map surface features, even those hidden beneath the dense canopy of Pacific Northwest forests. USGS scientists use high-resolution LiDAR data to

Paleoecologist Dr. Lynn Wingard highlights the unique aspects and restoration challenges of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem of southern Florida. Development and water management practices have profoundly altered this ecosystem, endangering much of the animal life in the area. Current restorations efforts attempting to restore the ecosystem faces challenges about how to

The USGS recently completed sampling for the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project on November 18, 2010. The last three samples of a total of 14,400 samples were collected at Bull Run Mountain in Virginia. During the multi-year project, about 20 students from a dozen different universities aided USGS employees and partners from Natural Resources Conservation

The USGS has just released the first-ever nationwide assessment of rare earth elements in the United States. The report estimates total U.S. resources at just under 12 million metric tons, located in significant deposits in 14 states. Keith Long and Brad Van Gosen, the two lead authors of the report, discuss their findings.

USGS Associate Director Jason Lambrecht talks about WaterAlert, a new USGS notification system used by managers, recreators, and many others.

There is a black box hidden beneath the forests of the Pacific Northwest, guarding the secrets to why the trees grow so large! The black box is soil, which harbors immense biological diversity and controls the release of water and nutrients that support the life above ground. Join us as Sue Powell interviews USGS ecologist Steve Perakis and discusses his research about the

The USGS has been contracted to study the yet unknown source of problematic hydrogen sulfide emissions coming from certain household wallboard, which is imported from China and used in some regions of the U.S. USGS chemist Steve Wilson, who is working on this problem wallboard issue with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), discusses the project.

Listen to intern Nicki Devanny of Ohio describe the hands-on experience and knowledge she gained for her experience working as a Student Conservation Association (SCA) intern at Bill Williams River NWR in Arizona.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals were identified in all of the 11 Minnesota lakes studied by the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Cloud State University and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Female characteristics were observed in male fish in most of the lakes studied. USGS scientists Jeffrey Writer talks to us about what's going on. 

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates 896 million barrels of conventional, undiscovered oil and 53 trillion cubic feet of conventional, undiscovered non-associated gas within NPRA and adjacent state waters.  The estimated volume of undiscovered oil is significantly lower than in 2002, when the USGS estimated there was 10.6 billion barrels of oil.  The new result, roughly 10

Nutrient sources in both agricultural and urban areas contribute to elevated nutrient concentrations in streams and groundwater across the nation. A new USGS study shows that, despite efforts to control nutrient sources and transport, concentrations of nutrients that can damage aquatic ecosystems and affect drinking water have remained the same or increased in many streams

The USGS PAGER system now produces rapid estimates of an earthquake's impact, a significant advancement in USGS earthquake information and alerting capabilities. PAGER stands for ‘Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response’. Dr. David Wald describes the PAGER system and its new earthquake impact alerting capabilities.

This month the USGS Oregon Science Podcast contains two interviews. First, we sit down with USGS hydrologist Stewart Rounds to discuss the effect dams have on water temperature in the rivers of the Willamette Valley. Then, we are joined by former USGS hydrologist Bernie Bonn to learn how chemistry can be used to identify where organic matter in streams comes from in the

According to scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey storm runoff from heavier than normal rainfall this fall in Puerto Rico has contributed to large streamflows in urban streams.  Impervious surfaces convey stormwater rapidly to streams.  This stormwater can also contain fertilizers and insecticides used along roads and on lawns, parks and golf courses.  In a new USGS