Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
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.
An unconformity at the top of Mount Everts is located where the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, 2.1 million years old, lies directly on top of Cretaceous sediments that are ~60 million years old and greater. Right at the unconformity are conspicuous orange and black colors. The orange is oxidation of the sedimentary unit where it is in contact with the ash, whic
An unconformity at the top of Mount Everts is located where the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, 2.1 million years old, lies directly on top of Cretaceous sediments that are ~60 million years old and greater. Right at the unconformity are conspicuous orange and black colors. The orange is oxidation of the sedimentary unit where it is in contact with the ash, whic
A few miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Highway 89 winds through the white/gray jumble of rocks known as the Hoodoos, or Silver Gate, that formed when travertine from Terrace Mountain collapsed in a landslide.
A few miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Highway 89 winds through the white/gray jumble of rocks known as the Hoodoos, or Silver Gate, that formed when travertine from Terrace Mountain collapsed in a landslide.
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations.
Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park. The jumbled nature of the calcium-carbonate rocks is evidence that the deposit was formed by collapse of a travertine hot-spring terrace that might once have looked like Mammoth Hot Springs does today.
Silver Gate landslide complex in Yellowstone National Park. The jumbled nature of the calcium-carbonate rocks is evidence that the deposit was formed by collapse of a travertine hot-spring terrace that might once have looked like Mammoth Hot Springs does today.
Avalanche debris covers a road in Glacier National Park at Red Rock point.
Avalanche debris covers a road in Glacier National Park at Red Rock point.
Flume measurement on Littlefield Creek
Littlefield Creek flume measurement
Heading out to collect soil samples for our sediment fingerprinting project
Heading out to collect soil samples for our sediment fingerprinting project
Soil sample collection for sediment fingerprinting on Littlefield Creek
Soil sample collection for sediment fingerprinting on Littlefield Creek
A well pump in rural North Dakota.
White barn in a rural setting in North Dakota.
White barn in a rural setting in North Dakota.
This is a high resolution image for the whiteboard series I Am A Fire Ecologist - Coloring Page
This is a high resolution image for the whiteboard series I Am A Fire Ecologist - Coloring Page
View of near shore Third Creek, NV
View of near shore Third Creek, NV
Lahar monitoring equipment is housed in a secure box with multiple types of instruments to detect approaching lahars.
Lahar monitoring equipment is housed in a secure box with multiple types of instruments to detect approaching lahars.
A close-up image of native sulfur crystals that formed within fumaroles at the Sulphur Banks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In addition to sulfur species and other gases, volcanoes emit water vapor. Here, some of the vapor has condensed to liquid water and formed droplets visible on the sulfur crystals. USGS photo by P. Nadeau.
A close-up image of native sulfur crystals that formed within fumaroles at the Sulphur Banks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In addition to sulfur species and other gases, volcanoes emit water vapor. Here, some of the vapor has condensed to liquid water and formed droplets visible on the sulfur crystals. USGS photo by P. Nadeau.
USGS scientist uses a weighted basket sampler to collect a Time of Travel red-dye sample at WaterOne in Olathe, Kansas.
USGS scientist uses a weighted basket sampler to collect a Time of Travel red-dye sample at WaterOne in Olathe, Kansas.
Different sulfur gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can react with each other to deposit crystals of pure native sulfur at sites of degassing called fumaroles. The crystals picture here formed within a Sulphur Banks area fumarole in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by T. Elias.
Different sulfur gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can react with each other to deposit crystals of pure native sulfur at sites of degassing called fumaroles. The crystals picture here formed within a Sulphur Banks area fumarole in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by T. Elias.
graphic showing gallons in a cubic foot
graphic showing volume of acre foot on football field
graphic showing volume of acre foot on football field
As part of routine monitoring efforts, HVO gas scientists collected helium samples from fumaroles in the Sulphur Banks, or Ha‘akulamanu, area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on September 30, 2020. Helium can pass through the glass of typical gas sampling bottles, so copper tubing is necessary for the specialized sample.
As part of routine monitoring efforts, HVO gas scientists collected helium samples from fumaroles in the Sulphur Banks, or Ha‘akulamanu, area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on September 30, 2020. Helium can pass through the glass of typical gas sampling bottles, so copper tubing is necessary for the specialized sample.