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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.

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a colorful sunrise over a calm ocean
Sunrise at Jensen Beach, FL
Sunrise at Jensen Beach, FL
Sunrise at Jensen Beach, FL

A colorful sunrise appears over the horizon of a calm ocean offshore of Jensen Beach, Florida. USGS Scientist RC Mickey collects data for location and elevation of sea turtle crawls and associated beach profiles this stretch of coastline.

A colorful sunrise appears over the horizon of a calm ocean offshore of Jensen Beach, Florida. USGS Scientist RC Mickey collects data for location and elevation of sea turtle crawls and associated beach profiles this stretch of coastline.

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The emission of volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, i
The emission of volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, i
The emission of volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, i

The emission of volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, is not unusual at the summit of Kīlauea. However, sulfur dioxide gas emission rates are now lower than they have been since before 1983, with about 50 tonnes/day measured at the summit of the volcano on the day of this photo (October 24).

The emission of volcanic gases, including sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, is not unusual at the summit of Kīlauea. However, sulfur dioxide gas emission rates are now lower than they have been since before 1983, with about 50 tonnes/day measured at the summit of the volcano on the day of this photo (October 24).

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Kīlauea 2018 events mark a watershed for volcano science
Kīlauea 2018 events mark a watershed for volcano science
Kīlauea 2018 events mark a watershed for volcano science

These two plots show summit tilt (ground deformation) and seismicity (earthquake counts) on Kīlauea Volcano between July 15 and August 5, 2018. A regular pattern emerged in which seismicity gradually increased over 1-3 days (bottom), until the caldera floor suddenly dropped several meters (yards) in a matter of seconds.

These two plots show summit tilt (ground deformation) and seismicity (earthquake counts) on Kīlauea Volcano between July 15 and August 5, 2018. A regular pattern emerged in which seismicity gradually increased over 1-3 days (bottom), until the caldera floor suddenly dropped several meters (yards) in a matter of seconds.

New outcrops make good geology
New outcrops make good geology
New outcrops make good geology
New outcrops make good geology

This aerial view of the western part of Kīlauea Volcano's caldera was taken on August 6, 2018. The down-dropped block is faulted about 120 m (400 feet) below the caldera floor. Many 19th-century lava flows are exposed in the fault scarps. Halema‘uma‘u (not visible) is to the left of this photo.

This aerial view of the western part of Kīlauea Volcano's caldera was taken on August 6, 2018. The down-dropped block is faulted about 120 m (400 feet) below the caldera floor. Many 19th-century lava flows are exposed in the fault scarps. Halema‘uma‘u (not visible) is to the left of this photo.

Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left)
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left)
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left)

Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.

Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.

woman measuring circumference of tree with a tape measure in a forest
Tree Growth - soil acidified by acid rain
Tree Growth - soil acidified by acid rain
Tree Growth - soil acidified by acid rain

Peggy Phillips measures a young red maple in an Adirondack watershed to see if liming has improved tree growth in a watershed where acid rain severely acidified the soil.

Peggy Phillips measures a young red maple in an Adirondack watershed to see if liming has improved tree growth in a watershed where acid rain severely acidified the soil.

Photograph of Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center drone pilots on Sandy Neck, Beach, Cape Cod, MA
UAS pilots in the field
UAS pilots in the field
UAS pilots in the field

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center unmanned aerial systems (uas) pilots conduct drone flights at Sandy Neck Beach, Cape Cod, MA

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center unmanned aerial systems (uas) pilots conduct drone flights at Sandy Neck Beach, Cape Cod, MA

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Aftershocks of the 2018 magnitude-6.9 earthquake expected to continue
Aftershocks of the 2018 magnitude-6.9 earthquake expected to continue
Aftershocks of the 2018 magnitude-6.9 earthquake expected to continue

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, West Thumb
Fishing Cone, West Thumb
Fishing Cone, West Thumb
Fishing Cone, West Thumb

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.

image related to volcanoes. See description
GPS station P361, on Sawtell Peak
GPS station P361, on Sawtell Peak
GPS station P361, on Sawtell Peak

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.

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Mount Baker and Glacier Peak - Active Volcanoes
Mount Baker and Glacier Peak - Active Volcanoes
Mount Baker and Glacier Peak - Active Volcanoes

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.

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Mount Rainier is an active volcano. Are you Ready for an Eruption?
Mount Rainier is an active volcano. Are you Ready for an Eruption?
Mount Rainier is an active volcano. 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?

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?

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UNAVCO field engineer Dylan Cembalski replaces damaged antennas on the communica
UNAVCO field engineer Dylan Cembalski replaces damaged antennas on the communica
UNAVCO field engineer Dylan Cembalski replaces damaged antennas on the communica

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)

Hot, molten lava flows slowly into the ocean, and the temperature difference between lava and water is creating steam.
Viscous lava hits ocean water
Viscous lava hits ocean water
Viscous lava hits ocean water

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.

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Volcano collapses mark the beginning and end of USGS scientist's career
Volcano collapses mark the beginning and end of USGS scientist's career
Volcano collapses mark the beginning and end of USGS scientist's career

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.

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Before and after satellite images of Leilani Estates subdivision
Before and after satellite images of Leilani Estates subdivision
Before and after satellite images of Leilani Estates subdivision

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.

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Before and after satellite images of the Fissure 8 area in Leilani Estates
Before and after satellite images of the Fissure 8 area in Leilani Estates
Before and after satellite images of the Fissure 8 area in Leilani Estates

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.

A man controlling a computer mouse is sitting at a computer looking at a computer monitor.
Multibeam processing
Multibeam processing
Multibeam processing

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.

Photo of Ground stratification showing different types of Geomorphology
New Jersey Strata 1
New Jersey Strata 1
New Jersey Strata 1

 Exposure of the Cape May Formation in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system. 

 Exposure of the Cape May Formation in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system. 

Photo of Ground stratification showing different types of Geomorphology
New Jersey Strata 2
New Jersey Strata 2
New Jersey Strata 2

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.

Sensor data logger recovered from floor of Yellowstone Lake
Sensor data logger recovered from floor of Yellowstone Lake
Sensor data logger recovered from floor of Yellowstone Lake
Sensor data logger recovered from floor of Yellowstone Lake

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.