Multimedia Gallery

HVO geologists visited the lower East Rift Zone lava flow field this past week to make measurements and observations, to better understand and reconstruct the dynamics of the Fissure 8 lava flow. This photo shows the channel wall in the braided channel region of the flow. The channel wall here is about 6 m (20 feet) high, and the channel just upstream of this position is

View of the recently cleared Boiling Pots on the Wailuku River in Hilo. The pots, each about 15 m (50 ft) in diameter, are eroded into a 10,000 year old Mauna Loa lava flow. When the water is low, the river does not flow over some of the pot rims but it continues to flow through them. USGS photo.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) electronics technician Steven Fuke stands near a solar panel system that powers a volcano-monitoring station. 

Two USGS scientists traveling by boat to estuary sampling and monitoring stations, Merrimack River, Massachusetts

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. These

Mineral elements provide the color in fireworks. Barium produces bright greens; strontium yields deep reds; copper produces blues; and sodium yields yellow. Other colors can be made by mixing elements: strontium and sodium produce brilliant orange; titanium, zirconium, and magnesium alloys make silvery white; copper and strontium make lavender. Gold sparks are produced by

Sugar Creek, near New Palestine, Indiana. Sugar Creek is part of a long-term USGS stream monitoring project, and was one of 72 U.S. streams and rivers investigated for pesticide occurrence. On average, 26 pesticides were detected in samples collected from Sugar Creek during 2013–17; 16 of the 122 samples collected at this site had a Pesticide Toxicity Index score that

White-nose syndrome has been detected in Washington. USGS scientist are helping the NPS design and evaluate bat sampling protocols for their Pacific Northwest parks.

In the eastern portion of the lake, the dark brown zone had a slightly mottled appearance, but this pattern was transient and gone within about ten minutes.

Geologists from Montana State University study an outcrop of diorite (a silicic igneous rock that cooled slowly beneath the ground). An outcrop of this size is important because it is easier to see any structural relations along with rock composition.

Newly identified ash flow sheets within the Yellowstone–Snake River Plain volcanic province (Y-SRP).  The small inset in the center shows the track of the Yellowstone hotspot and its associated eruptive centers in light gray (M—McDermitt; OH—Owyhee-Humboldt; BJ—Bruneau-Jarbidge; TF—Twin Falls; P—Picabo; H—Heise; Y—Yellowstone). On the left are geological logs through the

USGS scientist Tabitha Graves collects western bumble bee samples in eastern Montana. 

Mitch McAdoo prepares an acoustic televiewer for borehole geophysical logging in Monroe County, WV.

The eastern end of the lake, shown here, is slightly warmer than the lake center, and commonly has steam rising from the water surface. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The water lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues to slowly rise, with no significant changes in recent weeks. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This Spatial Resolution Digital Imagery Guideline was developed by Innovative and Imaging Research (I2R) for the USGS. This guide demonstrates how certain image specification parameters affect

A conceptual model of ecosystem services for the wetland habitats of Nisqually River Delta. Exogenous factors influence the quality and quantity of wetland habitat. This, in turn, controls the many functions that occur within wetlands. Ecosystem services, or benefits to people, are derived from the ability of wetlands to perform critical ecological functions.

Example map showing UAS image (A) and resulting image classification (B). 

Scientists collect alpine plant species and distribution data to complete a GLORIA site inventory on the summit of Seward Mountain, Glacier National Park, Montana.

GLORIA sites within Glacier National Park

A botanist collects vegetation data near the summit Pitamakin Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Researcher evaluates vegetation during a GLORIA alpine plant survey near the summit of Dancing Lady Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana.

Alpine summits often support a great variety of vegetation species despite harsh environmental conditions. Bison Mountain GLORIA plot, Glacier National Park, Montana.

Aerial map of modeling area in the Nisqually River Delta. Managed freshwater marsh at the southern end of the refuge is excluded. Inset: Black point on terrain map shows the location of Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge within Washington State (grey outline).

An active oil and gas well pad and an abandoned pad being reclaimed (top left inset).

Density of oil and gas well pads per km² in the Colorado Plateau ecoregion (including parts of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico) as counted in 2016. Oil/gas wells are particularly concentrated in this region with ~100,000 abandoned and current wells spanning 60 years of activity. These numbers are dramatically increasing with time.

In cooperation with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

The tidal forests of the Nisqually River Delta become inundated to just below the trunk during the highest tides of the year.

Engergy pads in an arid enverionment

Strong storms such as hurricanes can cause drastic changes to coastal environments. For example, this large washover fan was created on Fire Island, New York in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy by waves moving sediment from the dunes and beach towards the back-barrier environment. 

Safety is a top priority. USGS staff recently improved access to field sites at the Herring River estuary within the Cape Cod National Seashore to provide safer paths through a phragmites wetland. Research continues largely through deployment of instruments that can take measurements in water and air continuously, but some measurements do require staff, who are

Merrimack River near Aiken St Bridge, Lowell, Massachusetts (USGS ID: 010965985).

The site is one of the Merrimack project water quality sampling and monitoring stations.

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI.

Figure 1: EXPRESS surveys, dives, and sampling locations
Figure 2: 

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including submarine channels and pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI both prior to and as a part of EXPRESS.

Figure 1: EXPRESS surveys, dives, and sampling locations

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry offshore central California. Data supported management of National Marine Sanctuaries and prospective renewable energy decisions. Black ovals are locations of AUV-based multibeam surveys. Close-up views of two AUV surveys are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 1: 

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry of Trinidad Submarine Canyon northwest of Humboldt Bay in northern California. Area is in the vicinity of a potential offshore renewable energy development. See larger map for location.

Figure 1: 

Simplified Geologic Map of Yellowstone, modified from USGS I-711 by Marli Miller, University of Oregon. All rock material resulting from the major caldera-forming eruptions are labelled at Qt, where the dashed caldera boundary highlights the scale of these events. Older volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are found outside of this boundary.

The west coast of the United States showing locations of EXPRESS ship-based multibeam surveys, ROV dives, AUV dives, and sediment samples. Red boxes show locations of close-up views of multibeam bathymetry in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 1: EXPRESS surveys, dives, and sampling

Map showing the subaerial extents of historical lava flows from Mauna Loa. Lava flow hazard zones and districts of the County of Hawai‘i are also depicted.

Tina Neal, HVO Scientist-in-Charge from 2015–2020 ends her tenure on June 19, 2020. USGS photo.

James Molden shows off an Orange-throated Whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra) while conducting the monthly pitfall trap monitoring at Cabrillo National Monument. The traps were put in place over 20 years ago by researcher Robert Fisher. USGS is looking at the effects of fragmentation on the isolated amphibian and reptile community at the monument.

Benthic macroinvertebrate taxa collected from Straight Run, Tioga County, Pennsyvania, USA. 

Photomicrographs from a Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) from Massachusetts, USA. (A) Multiple pale foci of acute hepatic necrosis. (B) Multiple foci of acute pancreatic necrosis (arrow).

Photographs from a Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) from Massachusetts, USA. (A) There are scattered, small, pale foci in the liver. (B) Petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages are present in the pancreas.

A group of Pacific walruses during summer in the Chukchi Sea

Global distribution of GLORIA sites.