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Explore our planet through photography and imagery, including climate change and water all the way back to the 1800s when the USGS was surveying the country by horse and buggy.
As the sun rose above Mauna Kea (background) on July 6, 1975, eruptive fissures along the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa fed voluminous ‘a‘ā lava flows that quickly moved down the north flank of the volcano. USGS photo by D. Peterson.
As the sun rose above Mauna Kea (background) on July 6, 1975, eruptive fissures along the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa fed voluminous ‘a‘ā lava flows that quickly moved down the north flank of the volcano. USGS photo by D. Peterson.
A hyperpigmented melanistic skin lesion on a Smallmouth Bass from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
A hyperpigmented melanistic skin lesion on a Smallmouth Bass from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of Porter Patch reef off Key Largo, one of the sites that has been surveyed as part of FWRI’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring project since 1996.
SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of Porter Patch reef off Key Largo, one of the sites that has been surveyed as part of FWRI’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring project since 1996.
Brittney Izbicki, USGS, at the edge of the ice in the Connecticut River, preparing to collect water-quality samples.
Brittney Izbicki, USGS, at the edge of the ice in the Connecticut River, preparing to collect water-quality samples.
In Photo: Berm of Jim Foot Key about 1.5 years after Hurricane Irma. The red circle indicates the same position as shown in the April 2014 photo. The mature mangrove trees have not recovered from the storm.
In Photo: Berm of Jim Foot Key about 1.5 years after Hurricane Irma. The red circle indicates the same position as shown in the April 2014 photo. The mature mangrove trees have not recovered from the storm.
June 2018 flooding along Elk Creek in Augusta, Montana
June 2018 flooding along Elk Creek in Augusta, Montana
A 3-4m (10-12 ft) high outcrop of basalt lava, part of a broader lava flow. These flows were erupted about 300,000 years ago following basalt dike intrusions in a rear-arc region of northern California. The eruptions of three of these flows are thought to have taken place within several hundred years of each other.
A 3-4m (10-12 ft) high outcrop of basalt lava, part of a broader lava flow. These flows were erupted about 300,000 years ago following basalt dike intrusions in a rear-arc region of northern California. The eruptions of three of these flows are thought to have taken place within several hundred years of each other.
A USGS technician walks through snowy terrain carrying an ADCP device on his back during record Midwest flooding in spring 2019.
A USGS technician walks through snowy terrain carrying an ADCP device on his back during record Midwest flooding in spring 2019.
WWG Reading on the Wild Rice River in Minnesota during record Midwest flooding in spring 2019.
WWG Reading on the Wild Rice River in Minnesota during record Midwest flooding in spring 2019.
USGS streamgage number 13309220 on Idaho's Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area.
USGS streamgage number 13309220 on Idaho's Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area.
In Photo: Eastern berm of Jim Foot Key, April 2019. This photo taken from Florida Bay, looking in toward the center of the island (now covered in water). The arrow points toward a breach in the berm, first noted in 2014, but the cut has deepened significantly after Hurricane Irma, and the island interior
In Photo: Eastern berm of Jim Foot Key, April 2019. This photo taken from Florida Bay, looking in toward the center of the island (now covered in water). The arrow points toward a breach in the berm, first noted in 2014, but the cut has deepened significantly after Hurricane Irma, and the island interior
A coqui frog sits on a red ti leaf, next to a quarter for scale. Native to Puerto Rico, coqui frogs are an invasive species in Hawaii.
A coqui frog sits on a red ti leaf, next to a quarter for scale. Native to Puerto Rico, coqui frogs are an invasive species in Hawaii.
A coqui frog rests on a red ti plant leaf. Native to Puerto Rico, coqui are an invasive species in Hawaii.
A coqui frog rests on a red ti plant leaf. Native to Puerto Rico, coqui are an invasive species in Hawaii.
NW CASC’s USGS Director Nicole DeCrappeo on a recent rafting trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. She brought along a paper John Wesley Powell, an explorer and the 2nd director of the USGS, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his historic trip down the Colorado River.
NW CASC’s USGS Director Nicole DeCrappeo on a recent rafting trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. She brought along a paper John Wesley Powell, an explorer and the 2nd director of the USGS, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his historic trip down the Colorado River.
Northeast Region Photo Contest Winner | April 2019 | Honorable Mention
Esmeralda Vargas taking data on an estuary sample
Northeast Region Photo Contest Winner | April 2019 | Honorable Mention
Esmeralda Vargas taking data on an estuary sample
Matt Jennings (pictured) and Andrew Kowalczk (Boat Chief) on Seneca Lake using an underwater camera and grappling hook to locate and recover lost equipment from the Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Project platform that was damaged by an early winter storm. The platform mooring buoy can be seen in the background. Photo by Andrew Kowalczk (Public Domain)
Matt Jennings (pictured) and Andrew Kowalczk (Boat Chief) on Seneca Lake using an underwater camera and grappling hook to locate and recover lost equipment from the Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs) Project platform that was damaged by an early winter storm. The platform mooring buoy can be seen in the background. Photo by Andrew Kowalczk (Public Domain)
Schematic model showing a cross section of Old Faithful's plumbing system as determined from seismic studies. The red circles (t0-t3) show the location of the tremor source over time, and how the tremor source migrates upward prior to an Old Faithful eruption. Times between red circles are based on a 93-minute eruption interval.
Schematic model showing a cross section of Old Faithful's plumbing system as determined from seismic studies. The red circles (t0-t3) show the location of the tremor source over time, and how the tremor source migrates upward prior to an Old Faithful eruption. Times between red circles are based on a 93-minute eruption interval.
Closeup view of a Smelt (Osmerus mordax)
Closeup view of a Smelt (Osmerus mordax)
Skulls were collected in Spring 2018 & 2019 from coastlines throughout Alaska. It is assumed the animals died of natural causes over the preceding winters. They were collected under Marine Mammal Permit # 067925.
Skulls were collected in Spring 2018 & 2019 from coastlines throughout Alaska. It is assumed the animals died of natural causes over the preceding winters. They were collected under Marine Mammal Permit # 067925.
An intern uses Dopplar to gather streamflow data through the ice at the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming.
An intern uses Dopplar to gather streamflow data through the ice at the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming.
A high-precision Global Positioning System (GPS) survey is completed annually on Mauna Loa. This station was occupied for a period of three days to supplement the continuously operating GPS stations on the volcano. A beautiful view of Mauna Kea (in distance) could seen from this site during the GPS survey.
A high-precision Global Positioning System (GPS) survey is completed annually on Mauna Loa. This station was occupied for a period of three days to supplement the continuously operating GPS stations on the volcano. A beautiful view of Mauna Kea (in distance) could seen from this site during the GPS survey.