Multimedia Gallery

This video presents an animation of computer-simulated ground motions that might occur for a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rupturing the Rose Canyon fault in southern California. The scenario earthquake ruptures a 65-km-long section of the Rose Canyon fault that lies just offshore of San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. In this scenario, the rupture starts near the

This animation shows preliminary results from precise relocation of the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence, through July 6 (UTC), including the foreshock sequence and the first ~20 hours of aftershocks from M 7.1 mainshock.  The animation begins in a map view and then transitions into a rotating vertical slice.  Earthquakes are colorcoded by time of occurrence, with early

This animation shows preliminary results from precise relocation of the Ridgecrest foreshock sequence, up to the the time of occurrence of the M 7.1 mainshock.  The animation begins in a map view and then transitions into a rotating vertical slice.  Earthquakes are colorcoded by time of occurrence, with early events in dark blue and later events (up to the M 7.1) in dark

This video shows the earthquake events a few hours before the M6.4 on July 4th, 2019 till after the M7.1 on July 8th, 2019. The blue dots are the events associated with the M6.4 and then red dots are events associated with the M7.1

This animation takes the viewer down the Glen Canyon from Bullfrog Bay to the Rincon, in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. New high resolution multibeam bathymetry collected by the USGS in 2018 shows the submerged portions of Glen Canyon. 
 

This is an animation showing the changing conditions of USGS streamgages from January 1, 2019 to June 1, 2019. The conditions shown range from the driest condition seen at a gage (red open circles) to the wettest (blue closed circles). There is also a purple ring added to indicate gages that are flooding. During the animation, three locations in TN broke record water

This animation is the third video in a series explaining different aspects of the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). This video focuses on the machine learning model that PAMF uses to systematically learn from participant's data and then provide site-specific management guidance in return. More information about PAMF can be found at our websites:

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor is located aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. These data are crucial for studying changes that have occurred on the surface of the Earth, including during times of drought.

This video uses images produced from Terra MODIS Surface Reflectance data over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range to show

This is an animation showing the changing conditions of USGS streamgages for Water Year 2018 (October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018). The conditions shown range from the driest condition seen at a gage to the wettest. There is also an indicator for gages that are flooding, but it is noted that both USGS gage height and National Weather Service flood stage levels are

This video presents a visualization of how the BP Exploration Building in Anchorage, Alaska, shook during the moment magnitude (Mw) 7.0 November 30, 2018, Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake. The building was instrumented by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to obtain data to study its behavior and performance during strong shaking. Such data are useful in making decisions about

This video presents a visualization of how the Frontier Building in Anchorage, Alaska, shook during the moment magnitude (Mw) 7.0 November 30, 2018, Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake. The building was instrumented by U.S. Geological Survey to obtain data to study its behavior and performance during strong shaking. Such data are useful in making decisions about improving the

This video presents a visualization of how the Atwood Building in Anchorage, Alaska, shook during the Mw 7.0 November 30, 2018, Anchorage, Alaska, earthquake. The building was instrumented by the U.S. Geological Survey to obtain data to study its behavior and performance during strong shaking. Such data are useful in making decisions about improving the performance of the

Digital 3D reconstruction of lake bottom using 50 photo frames taken by the dive camera system. This example shows an arc since the sampling transect is a circle. This reconstruction allows us to gain more insight about the lake bottom since elevation has been added to the photographs.
 

Digital 3D reconstruction of lake bottom using 10 photo frames taken by the dive camera system. This reconstruction allows us to gain more insight about the lake bottom since elevation has been added to the photographs.
 

Every year, tens of thousands of people descend upon an unforgiving windswept playa in northwestern Nevada to build a city.

Within months, the city is gone.

Burning Man is named for the wooden effigy set ablaze at the end of the weeklong celebration in the temporary metropolis of Black Rock City.

It all happens on an ancient alkali flat nestled between

A total solar eclipse darkened the skies over the United States on Aug. 21, 2017.

Fourteen states were in the path of totality, a 70-mile-wide band under which the moon fully blocked the sun for just under three minutes.

Oshkosh, a town in the Nebraska Sandhills was a prime location for viewing the eclipse. This Landsat 7 image shows the town at 11:33 a.m.

The Landsat archive has added its 8 millionth scene. 

This stunning image was captured by Landsat 8 on July 28, 2018. It shows the coastline of Nordaustlandet, the second-largest island in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

Most of the island is covered by massive white ice caps. The exposed rocky coast appears in reddish brown, peppered with blue and black lakes

Landsat sensor technology has come a long way since the days of the Return Beam Vidicon cameras on the first three Landsat satellites. Known as the RBV, it wasoriginally intended to be the satellites’ primary sensor. But the Multispectral
Scanner, or MSS, became the more stable and superior instrument.

Each week, the Earth Resources Observation and Science (

A new video shows a timelapse of the lava flows erupted in Kīlauea's Lower East Rift Zone between May

This 3D thermal map shows the new geometry of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. Magma

This video describes the annual participation cycle for those enrolled in the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). PAMF encompasses three annual steps including enrolling, monitoring and managing. As participants employ management actions and submit monitoring reports they will receive management guidance generated by the PAMF model, which provides the most

This video describes the annual participation cycle for those enrolled in the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). PAMF encompasses three annual steps including enrolling, monitoring and managing. As participants employ management actions and submit monitoring reports they will receive management guidance generated by the PAMF model, which provides the most

High rainfall totals in Kenya have caused the collapse of the Patel Dam, leading to destruction and loss of life downstream.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

The EROS mission is to document and study changes to earth. With a vast archive of imagery from multiple sources, the EROS archive is the longest continuous record or earth's changing landscapes.

Lava continues to flow, changing the landscape, vegetation and coastline in Hawaii.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (https://eros.usgs.gov/)

During an overflight on May 11, we collected thermal images of the crater at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and created an updated 3D model of the crater geometry. The collapse on April 30 produced a large cavity, with the deepest point roughly 350 m (1150 feet) below the crater rim.

Landsat and Sentinel sensors capture the Rattlesnake Fire as it burns in Arizona.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (https://eros.usgs.gov/)

Fire Island, a barrier island off the coast of Long Island has seen large changes from Hurricane Sandy and several other powerful storms since.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

For over 45 years Landsat has been monitoring the earth. In that time Las Vegas, Nevada has seen incredible urban growth, as documented in images like these.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor is located onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor is located onboard the joint NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and data products created by NASA provide a continuation of the MODIS data heritage. These data are crucial

This is a view of the route the Boston Marathon will take, as seen from Landsat 8.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (https://eros.usgs.gov/)

This salt flat in Chile producing a large amount of the world's lithium, a critical resource in electronics and batteries.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

Landsat 8 shows the effects after Volcan de Fuego erupted in Guatemala.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (https://eros.usgs.gov/)

South Korea transformed a mountain forest into an Olympic skiing centre for the 2018 Winter Games. These images show that transformation.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

Observe changes in land surface temperature over the course of 2017, with Terra MODIS images. The images were created using the 8-day composite Terra MODIS LST data product (MOD11C2). To learn more about MODIS LST data, and other data products distributed by the LP DAAC, please visit https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/.

The Theewaterskloof Reservoir near Cape Town, South Africa is drying up as a result of a growing population and several dry years. Now at 13% capacity, the shortage could reach a crisis if the rainy season doesn't replenish water supplies.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired

Satellite images of the Hamrin Mountains in Iraq show burning oil wells. As ISIS is driven from the area, they are setting these wells on fire.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier has calved another iceberg. These Landsat images show the progression since just before the break in September until now.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

After a month, the wildfires of Southern California are nearly contained. Landsat 8 imagery shows the dramatic burn scars left behind.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

Groundwater use from the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system, 1900 to 2010” is a short video showing modeled groundwater withdrawal rates from the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (Ozark system) in the central United States. The Ozark Plateaus Groundwater Availability Study aims to quantify current groundwater resources in the Ozark system, evaluate how these resources have changed

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor is located onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. MODIS data are crucial tools for studying changes that have occurred on the surface of the Earth, including during times of drought. This video highlights Terra MODIS data over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the changes in the amount of snowpack in

The Thomas fire has burned more than 230,000 acres and continues to blaze across souther California. These images show some of the burn scar left behind.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

A new rift is forming across the Petermann Glacier. If this rift connects to existing rifts, it could result in another large iceberg breaking free.

At the USGS EROS Center, we study land change, operate the Landsat satellites, and maintain the longest, continuously acquired collection of images of the Earth's land surface.

USGS EROS Center (

Once the ground stations receive data from Landsat, there's still a lot of processing to make every pixel usable. Here's an overview of some of that work.
 

Every pixel of Landsat data is transmitted down to a network of ground stations around the world. Here is an overview of how that happens.
 

Recording every pixel as Landsat orbits Earth is a complicated task. Here is an overview of how that data goes from the sensors into the recorder.
 

On board Landsat 8 are two sensors that capture data about earth's surface. Here is an explanation of the instruments that capture every pixel.