Images

Geologic time scale showing the geologic eons, eras, periods, epochs, and associated ages in millions of years ago (MYA). The time scale also shows major evolutionary and tectonic events in North America.

Clear day view of Mauna Loa during tradewind conditions from the summit of Kīlauea Volcano.

Image of the 2018 Eruption of the Kilauea Volcano taken from a UAS at night

UAS ground control station at the 2018 eruption of the Kilauea Volcano

Map showing the locations of all U.S. volcanoes with their threat category designated by color. Very high threat is red, high is orange, moderate is yellow, low is green, and very low is blue. 

A section of the Porcelain Basin Loop boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin was removed because the ground below sections of the boardwalk became too hot and made charcoal of the wood footings that support the structure. Luckily enough in this case, the boardwalk was shifted about 3 feet to avoid the new hot ground.

These views of Mauna Loa are from near the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory looking toward the west. The view on left is typical during strong trade winds that blow the plume from Halema‘uma‘u Crater southwest of the summit area. The view on right is common during slack winds that allow vog conditions to develop in the summit area of Kīlauea.

Department of Interior UAS pilots from left to right – Elizabeth Pendleton (USGS, Woods Hole, MA), Colin Milone (Office of Aviation Services, AK), John Vogel (USGS; Flagstaff, AZ), Sandy Brosnahan (USGS, Woods Hole, MA), Brandon Forbes (USGS; Tucson, AZ), Chris Holmquist-Johnson (USGS; Fort Collins, CO),&nb

Simplified geologic map (left) and diagrammatic cross section (right) of Long Valley Caldera. The resurgent dome, Doe Ridge, Mammoth Mountain, and the Inyo Craters and Domes all reflect volcanic activity since 760,000 years ago, when a giant eruption formed the caldera.

Ambae Island is in the northern Vanuatu archipelago (Figure A, courtesy of NASA) and hosts a nested caldera at its summit. A temporary seismic-acoustic array was deployed beginning July 2018 (yellow squares). Local airports are marked by the red squares.

High-resolution, bare-earth, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) image, looking obliquely northwest into Rocky Ridge.

Mount Shasta, a steep-sided Cascade Range stratovolcano in Northern California, looms above Little Glass Mountain, a thick obsidian flow erupted from the Medicine Lake shield volcano about 1,000 years ago. These are just two of the young volcanic areas monitored by the USGS California Volcano Observatory. USGS photo.

An aerial view of the prominent 1940 cinder-and-spatter cone on the floor of Mauna Loa's summit caldera. The cone, about 100 m (330 ft) high, was built during a 134-day-long eruption that began on April 7, 1940. Most of the caldera floor around the cone is covered by lava flows erupted in 1984.

Map showing the northwestern corner of the Sour Creek Dome. The red lines mark the area where the map will be changing to become more accurate. Figure adapted from Wilson et al. 2018 (Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 80, article 53; doi:10.1007/s00445-018-1229-x).

USGS researchers Todd Burton and Joe Adams flying a UAS at the 2018 eruption of the Kilauea Volcano

Plot of ground motion as recorded by a GPS station at Kīlauea's summit (red) and the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent (blue) for the 8 months leading up to the 2018 eruption. Note the sharp increase indicating pressurization beginning in March. Image shows an aerial view of Halema‘uma‘u crater and the actively overflowing lava lake on April 23, 2018. 

A view into the center of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Collapses on the crater walls have enlarged sections of the crater and filled the bottom of the crater with rockfall debris. The deepest portion of the crater is about 286 m (938 ft) below the crater floor that existed prior to the collapse on April 30, 2018. Steam rises from the loose rock on the crater floor. USGS image by F.

On May 7, 2019, field crews visited a telemetry hub on the rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō to assess damage after a small collapse on May 1. During the overflight, photos and observations were made of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. The crater walls expose a clear sequence of lava flows and cinder that built the cone in the early 1980s. USGS image by F. Younger.

This lava fountain, which erupted on September 6, 1969, during the Mauna Ulu eruption, was about 540 m (1770 ft) tall. The tephra cone, eventually named Mauna Ulu, can be seen in the fallout area (right of the fountains. in middle of image). It is now a 121 m (397 ft) tall lava shield in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Good weather provided clear views of Halema‘uma‘u during a routine visit to the webcam on the northwest rim of the caldera.

Teaching Through Technology (T3) Alliance students in the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Upward Bound summer program install a large display showing measurements from their air-quality monitoring station outside the Pāhoa Community Center, which was used as a temporary shelter for displaced residents from Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 eruption.