Multimedia Gallery

(May 2, 2005, 02:30:28 to 07:30:37) The spatter cone collapse described in the movie below was also recorded by a time-lapse camera on the west flank of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone. This camera was located about 70 meters from the MLK vent and recorded two pulses of lava effusion from the vent before collapse. The first, and larger, pulse of effusion was abruptly terminated by a

(May 2, 2005, 05:30:04 to 07:30:02) During spring 2005, activity at the MLK vent, on the southwestern flank of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, changed from a period of construction to one of destruction. This was highlighted by the collapse of the main MLK spatter cone. The drain-back of lava beneath the spatter cone, following lava extrusion, apparently removed support of the

During Spring 2005, activity at the Martin Luther King (MLK) vent, an eruptive vent on the southwestern flank of the Pu'u 'O'o cone, changed from a period of construction to one of destruction. This was highlighted by the collapse of the main MLK spatter cone. The drainback of lava beneath the spatter cone, following the extrusion of lava, likely removed support of the

Lava spines continue to emerge onto the crater floor of Mount St. Helens in 2005. By April 2005, spine 4 is broken and pushed away by spine 5.  The nearly vertical spine 5 has a smooth, gouge-covered surface, growing at an average rate of 4.3 meters per day. Scientists continue helicopter overflights to measure the temperature of the lava dome and assess hazards from dome

Blowing the Lid off Seismic Science for 40 Years

Ross Stein, representing the USGS Earthquake Hazards Team 

The Parkfield earthquake of 1966 launched a torrent of research at the USGS in Menlo Park. With the San Andreas Fault as a backyard lab and global earthquakes as a guide, the USGS has changed the landscape of earthquake science

USGS Shipboard Research Sparked Scientific Advances

By William R. Normark, and
David W. Scholl, Marine Geologists

• Alaskan work from the Survey's M/V Eider in the 1950's led to visualizing how great earthquakes and tsunamis originate along trenches
• In the 1970's, researchers discovered deep-sea "black

Growth and disintegration of lava spines continued at Mount St. Helens through the first 8 months of 2005. Rather than building a single dome-shaped structure, the new dome grew initially as a series of recumbent, smoothly surfaced spines that extruded to lengths of almost 500 m. The potential for unpredictable explosions induced decisions to minimize the exposure of field

Hear why California makes an ideal environment for landslides North face

By Gerald F. Wieczorek, Geological Engineer, and
Raymond C. Wilson, Landslide Geologist

• Hear why California makes an ideal environment for landslides North face
• Learn about rock falls, debris flows, and other landslides Rocks fall

(February 9, 2005, 18:00:30 to February 10, 2005, 08:00:31) On February 9, 2005, an increase in lava discharge from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, part of a longer term increase in effusion rate (Miklius and others, 2006), resulted in vigorous spattering and low fountaining from the MLK vent. Before the event, the tallest of the small complex of spatter cones over the MLK vent was about 6–7

Within the crater of Mount St. Helens, the 2004–2008 lava dome grew by continuous extrusion of degassed lava spines. To track growth and anticipate what the volcano might do next, scientists installed monitoring equipment, including a camera and gas sensing instruments, and made helicopter overflights to collect the temperature (FLIR) of the growing dome.
 

35 Years of San Francisco Bay Studies

By John Conomos, Scientist Emeritus

• USGS research in the Bay system began in the 1960s with a search for underwater earthquake faults
• In the 1970s, the research team expanded to cover studies of water properties and quality, water mixing and flow, and estuarine ecology

A video on USGS EROS monitoring of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
 

Compilation video of significant events from the dome-building eruption at Mount St. Helens, from October 1, 2004 to March 15, 2005, including steam and ash eruptions, growth of lava spines, helicopter deployment of monitoring equipment, collection of lava samples, and FLIR thermal imaging of rock collapse on lava dome.

1. Eruption of Mount St. Helens,  October 1

By late October 2004, a whaleback-shaped extrusion of solid lava (called a spine) emerged from Mount St. Helens' crater floor. The 2004–2008 lava dome grew by continuous extrusion of degassed lava spines that had mostly solidified at less than 1 km (0.62 mi) beneath the surface. Scientists deployed monitoring equipment and made visual observations to assess the hazards

The rockslide occurred about nine miles east of Glenwood Springs in Glenwood Canyon (Colorado) at 7:42 am, November 25, 2004, according officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

Glenwood Springs is about halfway between Vail and Grand Junction, Colorado. The rockslide caused the closure of  Interstate 70 for rock removal and repair, and

The Revolution in Mapping at the U.S. Geological Survey

by Susan P. Benjamin, Research Geographer

• Mapping the United States in the 19th century was arduous, dangerous work; flash floods, bears, and bandits were just a few hazards
• By the mid-20th century, aerial photography, photogrammetry, and stereophoto pairs, allowed

Following unrest that began on September 23, 2004 and the steam and ash eruptions in early October, extrusion of solid magma typified the 2004-2008 eruption at Mount St. Helens. The magma is unusually gas poor and crystal rich.  Several meters of pulverized, variably sintered rock commonly coat the emergent lava spines, lending them a smooth appearance.  Other spines have

After two weeks of increasing seismicity, Mount St. Helens began erupting on October 1, 2004. The first of several explosions shot a plume of volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere. Four additional steam and ash explosions occurred through October 5, and three produced noticeable fallout of fine ash downwind. Following the brief series of small steam-and-ash explosions

On October 11, 2004, spines of solid, but still hot, lava punctured the surface of the deformed glacier, initiating a new dome-building phase of activity in the crater of Mount St. Helens. By late October, a larger whaleback-shaped extrusion of solid lava (called a spine) emerged from the crater floor. During the 3+ years of the eruption a series of hot, solid, smooth-

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline story-- so far, so good!

by George Gryc, Arthur Lachenbruch, and Robert Page, Scientists Emeriti

• The 1968 discovery of North America.s largest oil fi eld on the Arctic coast posed the challenge of an 800-mile pipeline to carry hot oil across mountains, rivers, and the giant Denali Fault
• The oil

On October 1, 2004, an explosion in the crater of Mount St. Helens sent ash and water vapor several thousand feet into the air. It was the dramatic beginning of an eruption that continued for the next 3+ years. The explosion fractured Crater Glacier and hurled rocks for at least one-half mile across the western half of the glacier and the 1980-1986 lava dome. USGS

Connecting Geology and Wine in Napa Valley

by David G. Howell, Geologist Emeritus

• Does a glass of wine really contain 100 million years of geologic history ?
• How did continental glaciation help shape the Napa Valley's soils?
• Are the hills in Napa Valley that help control its microclimates really megalandslides

What is the Future of the Southern Sea Otter?

Featuring the new award-winning USGS video Precipice of Survival. The Southern Sea Otter by Stephen Wessells, introduced and discussed by sea otter researchers including Alisha H. Kage and M. Tim Tinker, Research Biologists 

• The southern subspecies of sea otter, Enhydra lutris