Videos

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of October 2019

 

In the spring, winter sea ice thaws and moves offshore leaving the coast exposed to increased wave action and relatively warm water temperatures that, when in contact with the bluff, erodes the toe of the bluff.

In September of 2019, a 315 ton iceberg known as D28 broke free from the Amery Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The berg has a surface area of more than 600 square miles, roughly comparable to the size of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It's the largest iceberg to calve from the ice shelf since the 1960s. (Imagery captured by Landsat satellites.)

The Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) that collected water from the crater lake in Halema‘uma‘u on October 26 was outfitted with both visual and infrared (thermal) cameras. This reconnaissance video shows fumarolic activity on the walls of the crater. Fumaroles appear light in color (yellow and white) in the visual imagery due to alteration of the crater wall rock.

Prior to the Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) mission that collected a water sample from Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit on October 26, reconnaissance UAS missions were flown. This video, taken over a period of 15 minutes, has been sped up 7 times to show the UAS as it approaches Halema‘uma‘u from the southwest.

In this October 26 reconnaissance survey, the Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) reaches the northeast part of the Halema‘uma‘u crater lake, where large rocks at the lake margin are often used to visually track the rising water level. Taken over a period of about 5.5 minutes, the survey is shown at 3 times the speed it was filmed.

This thermal video was captured by the UAS as it collected a water sample in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea's summit.

This video was captured by the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) as it collected a water sample in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea's summit. Limited UAS flights in this area are conducted with permission and coordination with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

This video shows the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) collecting a water sample from Halema‘uma‘u. This wider view shows the scale of the UAS relative to the water pond. USGS video by M. Patrick, 26 Oct 2019.

This video shows another view of the unmanned aircraft system sampling water from Halema‘uma‘u. USGS video by C. Parcheta, 26 Oct 2019.

This video shows a close-up of the unmanned aircraft system collecting a water sample in Halema‘uma‘u. USGS video by M. Patrick, 26 Oct 2019.

The dynamic landscape and climate of Alaska presents many challenges to the over 200 communities that live in rural areas of the state and have a wide variety of resource needs. Coastal and riverine erosion, flooding, wildfire, permafrost dynamics and increasing temperatures act as drivers for many of these landscape changes.

This timelapse video covers 1.5 hours and shows the motion of the water surface at the summit of Kīlauea. Along the shoreline, areas of apparent water influx are visible, often with a slightly greener color. Shifting steam on the surface attests to the high temperature of the water and the winds at the bottom of the crater.

Retrospective interview with USGS Geophysicist Susan Hough about the collapse of the Nimitz Freeway (known as the Cypress Structure) in Oakland, CA, during the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and how the first responders reacted to the event.
 

Retrospective interview with USGS Geophysicist Susan Hough about her early earthquake work during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The interview covers how the Cypress Structure collapse in Oakland, CA, served as a site response study for seismic research.
 

Each year the State of California promotes a ShakeOut event where local citizens practice earthquake response and preparedness. This video shows footage from the 2019 Great California ShakeOut, which was hosted at Biola University in La Mirenda, CA. Video includes footage of the initial ShakeAlert announcement that blared across campus.

The USGS assists FEMA with updating flood insurance rate maps throughout New England. This is in response to recent major flooding events and because of the need to update the 30 year-old effective flood insurance rate maps. This video gives a brief overview of the FEMA project team with a focus on the surveying component of the project.

 

The Earth As Art project began in the early 2000s, and its original intent remains the same: to produce images that do not look like satellite images at first glance.

This is an Audio Described version of this video. Audio Descriptions are provided for visually impaired audiences. The Earth As Art project began in the early 2000s, and its original intent remains the same: to produce images that do not look like satellite images at first glance.

An earthquake and tsunami in March of 2011 leveled cities and left 18,000 people dead along the east coast of Japan. The government responded with a plan to build hundreds of sea walls in hopes of protecting coastal communities from future disasters. Rikuzentakata was among the cities fortified after the tragedy.

On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 pm a magnitude M6.9 earthquake struck near Loma Prieta, California. It was a tragic reminder of the destructive power of earthquakes. However, it was also a watershed moment in seismic research. 30 years later, we revisit the earthquake through the eyes of the scientists who experienced it. And studied it. These are their stories.