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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.
The inferred rupture area (white dashed line) of the May 4, 2018, magnitude-6.9 earthquake, with its foreshocks and first 10 days of aftershocks, spans an area of about 800 sq km (300 sq mi). Circle size indicates earthquake magnitude; color indicates earthquake depth. Magnitudes for some of the larger events are labeled.
The inferred rupture area (white dashed line) of the May 4, 2018, magnitude-6.9 earthquake, with its foreshocks and first 10 days of aftershocks, spans an area of about 800 sq km (300 sq mi). Circle size indicates earthquake magnitude; color indicates earthquake depth. Magnitudes for some of the larger events are labeled.
Fishing cone, a hot springs on the floor of Yellowstone Lake. The hot spring rim sits at lake level.
Fishing cone, a hot springs on the floor of Yellowstone Lake. The hot spring rim sits at lake level.
GPS station P361, on Sawtell Peak, on a nice clear day. Electrical storms destroyed multiple antennas, including the GPS antenna--here under a protective plastic dome--and three communications antennas on the tower. Data from P361, along with data from other stations in the Yellowstone region, are sent to UNAVCO for free and open distribution.
GPS station P361, on Sawtell Peak, on a nice clear day. Electrical storms destroyed multiple antennas, including the GPS antenna--here under a protective plastic dome--and three communications antennas on the tower. Data from P361, along with data from other stations in the Yellowstone region, are sent to UNAVCO for free and open distribution.
Are you ready for an eruption? Mount Baker dominates the skyline of northwestern Washington and southwestern British Columbia. Glacier Peak is mostly hidden from view. Both volcanoes have erupted in recent centuries and will erupt again, disrupting the landscape and the lives of people downstream and downwind. Learn what to do and where to get information.
Are you ready for an eruption? Mount Baker dominates the skyline of northwestern Washington and southwestern British Columbia. Glacier Peak is mostly hidden from view. Both volcanoes have erupted in recent centuries and will erupt again, disrupting the landscape and the lives of people downstream and downwind. Learn what to do and where to get information.
Mount Rainier is much more than a mountain in the sky. Constructed of hundreds of lava flows, and capped by as much glacier ice as all other Cascade volcanoes combined, Rainier's steep rubbly slopes and abundant water make it prone to landslides and lahars, especially during eruptions. Are you ready for an eruption?
Mount Rainier is much more than a mountain in the sky. Constructed of hundreds of lava flows, and capped by as much glacier ice as all other Cascade volcanoes combined, Rainier's steep rubbly slopes and abundant water make it prone to landslides and lahars, especially during eruptions. Are you ready for an eruption?
UNAVCO field engineer Dylan Cembalski replaces damaged antennas on the communications tower at Sawtell Peak. The tower is shared by multiple groups that use this regional high point to relay data. (UNAVCO Photo by Summer Rhoades)
UNAVCO field engineer Dylan Cembalski replaces damaged antennas on the communications tower at Sawtell Peak. The tower is shared by multiple groups that use this regional high point to relay data. (UNAVCO Photo by Summer Rhoades)
A viscous pāhoehoe flow from Kilauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi , entering the ocean near Isaac Hale Beach Park on the morning of August 5, 2018.
A viscous pāhoehoe flow from Kilauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi , entering the ocean near Isaac Hale Beach Park on the morning of August 5, 2018.
Left: Horseshoe-shaped crater of Mount St. Helens in 1980, formed by a landslide that removed the top of the volcano. The crater is about 2 km (1.2 mi) wide and the floor is about 600 m (1,970 ft) below the crater rim. Right: Halema'uma'u nestled in the summit crater of Kīlauea Volcano on August 1, the day before the last collapse event.
Left: Horseshoe-shaped crater of Mount St. Helens in 1980, formed by a landslide that removed the top of the volcano. The crater is about 2 km (1.2 mi) wide and the floor is about 600 m (1,970 ft) below the crater rim. Right: Halema'uma'u nestled in the summit crater of Kīlauea Volcano on August 1, the day before the last collapse event.
This comparison shows satellite images of Leilani Estates subdivision before and after the May-August 2018 eruption. The image on the right, collected in early September 2018, shows that the eastern portion of the subdivision has been covered by lava. The Fissure 8 lava channel runs northeast, with the Fissure 8 cone at the start of the channel.
This comparison shows satellite images of Leilani Estates subdivision before and after the May-August 2018 eruption. The image on the right, collected in early September 2018, shows that the eastern portion of the subdivision has been covered by lava. The Fissure 8 lava channel runs northeast, with the Fissure 8 cone at the start of the channel.
A close up comparison of the Fissure 8 area in Leilani Estates subdivision. Leilani Avenue runs right-left (east-west) through the center of the images. On the right side, the crater in the Fissure 8 cone is visible, with the Fissure 8 lava channel extending north.
A close up comparison of the Fissure 8 area in Leilani Estates subdivision. Leilani Avenue runs right-left (east-west) through the center of the images. On the right side, the crater in the Fissure 8 cone is visible, with the Fissure 8 lava channel extending north.
USGS scientist Pete Dartnell processes multibeam data collected from off the Pacific Northwest coast on a research cruise aboard NOAA ship Rainier.
USGS scientist Pete Dartnell processes multibeam data collected from off the Pacific Northwest coast on a research cruise aboard NOAA ship Rainier.
Exposure of the Cape May Formation in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system.
Exposure of the Cape May Formation in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system.
Exposure of the clay-sand facies of the Cohansey Formation in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system.
Exposure of the clay-sand facies of the Cohansey Formation in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system.
A sensor data logger recovered from the floor of Yellowstone Lake in the Deep Hole area in 2018 shows signs of melting due to unexpectedly high temperatures in sediments up to ~3 ft (1 m) away from an active hydrothermal vent. Image acquired by the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration ROV Yogi on August 4, 2018.
A sensor data logger recovered from the floor of Yellowstone Lake in the Deep Hole area in 2018 shows signs of melting due to unexpectedly high temperatures in sediments up to ~3 ft (1 m) away from an active hydrothermal vent. Image acquired by the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration ROV Yogi on August 4, 2018.
Sensor deployed in the Deep Hole, east of Stevenson Island to monitor long-term temperature and chemical variations in an active vent. Image acquired by the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration ROV Yogi on August 4, 2018.
Sensor deployed in the Deep Hole, east of Stevenson Island to monitor long-term temperature and chemical variations in an active vent. Image acquired by the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration ROV Yogi on August 4, 2018.
Sensor (top), deformed battery/electronics package (bottom), and titanium sheath (left) following recovery from vent location A in teh Deep Hole area on the floor of Yellowstone Lake.
Sensor (top), deformed battery/electronics package (bottom), and titanium sheath (left) following recovery from vent location A in teh Deep Hole area on the floor of Yellowstone Lake.
Early morning photo of Halema‘uma‘u, taken from the northeastern caldera rim.
Early morning photo of Halema‘uma‘u, taken from the northeastern caldera rim.
New thermal feature beneath the boardwalk on Geyser Hill, Upper Geyser Basin. Bo
New thermal feature beneath the boardwalk on Geyser Hill, Upper Geyser Basin. Bo
The Scanning Electron Microscopy lab at Menlo Park.
The Scanning Electron Microscopy lab at Menlo Park.
A USGS gas geochemist and colleagues from the United Kingdom carry multi-gas sensors as they approach the degassing fissure 8 cone during Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 eruption.
A USGS gas geochemist and colleagues from the United Kingdom carry multi-gas sensors as they approach the degassing fissure 8 cone during Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 eruption.