Obsidian Cliff exposes the interior of a thick rhyolite lava flow erupted about 180,000 years ago. The vertical columns are cooling fractures that formed as the thick lava flow cooled and crystallized. The flow consists of obsidian, a dark volcanic glass.
Images
Obsidian Cliff exposes the interior of a thick rhyolite lava flow erupted about 180,000 years ago. The vertical columns are cooling fractures that formed as the thick lava flow cooled and crystallized. The flow consists of obsidian, a dark volcanic glass.
![Interferogram image made from InSAR monitoring, showing 1995-2001 ground uplift.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img1257.jpg?itok=LEWMsjWc)
Interferogram image made from InSAR monitoring, showing 1995-2001 ground uplift in the Three Sisters.
linkAbout 130 mm (5 inches) of peak uplift from 1995 to 2001 is shown in this interferogram in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Magma accumulating at about 7 km (about 4.5 mi) depth is the likely cause of uplift. The area of uplift, about 20 km (12 miles) in diameter, is almost entirely within the wilderness area.
Interferogram image made from InSAR monitoring, showing 1995-2001 ground uplift in the Three Sisters.
linkAbout 130 mm (5 inches) of peak uplift from 1995 to 2001 is shown in this interferogram in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Magma accumulating at about 7 km (about 4.5 mi) depth is the likely cause of uplift. The area of uplift, about 20 km (12 miles) in diameter, is almost entirely within the wilderness area.
Scientist Jonathan Godt samples a landslide headscarp in Alameda County, CA.
Scientist Jonathan Godt samples a landslide headscarp in Alameda County, CA.
Mount Baker, aerial view to the northeast.
Mount Baker, aerial view to the northeast.
![Sherman Crater, to the left of the true summit, at Mount Baker, Was...](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img1042.jpg?itok=LZCbJiN9)
Sherman Crater, to the left of the true summit, at Mount Baker, Washington, aerial view to the northwest.
Sherman Crater, to the left of the true summit, at Mount Baker, Washington, aerial view to the northwest.
![Colorful image showing the geomorphology of the Puerto Rico Trench and surrounding terrain](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/media/images/PR%20Trench3-fs141-00.png?itok=AydmzLyF)
Morphology and color-shaded bathymetry of the northeastern Caribbean region. Digital data courtesy of Troy Holcombe and Lisa Taylor, National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado.
Morphology and color-shaded bathymetry of the northeastern Caribbean region. Digital data courtesy of Troy Holcombe and Lisa Taylor, National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado.
![Deposit of the largest lahar from Mount Baker, Washington, exposed ...](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img1071.jpg?itok=AF4x8QmW)
Note the protruding logs and branches from living trees that were knocked down and carried by the lahar. Ice axe, 3 ft, shows scale. Lahars are the greatest hazard at Mount Baker.
Note the protruding logs and branches from living trees that were knocked down and carried by the lahar. Ice axe, 3 ft, shows scale. Lahars are the greatest hazard at Mount Baker.
A bed of manganese nodules from deep offshore of the Cook Islands; photo sourced from Hein et al., 2015, taken during a Japanese research cruise in the year 2000. Nodules range from about 2 to 10 centimeters across.
A bed of manganese nodules from deep offshore of the Cook Islands; photo sourced from Hein et al., 2015, taken during a Japanese research cruise in the year 2000. Nodules range from about 2 to 10 centimeters across.
Potential volcanic hazards at Mount Baker.
Potential volcanic hazards at Mount Baker.
![Timeline for eruptions at Mount Baker during the Holocene (12,000 y...](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img1113.jpg?itok=_4TSxBWZ)
Timeline for eruptions at Mount Baker during the Holocene (12,000 years ago to present).
Timeline for eruptions at Mount Baker during the Holocene (12,000 years ago to present).
![Graphic depicting the distribution of Yellowstone ash across the U....](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img6.jpg?itok=uL4w1vJD)
Map of volcanic ashfall. Areas of the United States that once were covered by volcanic ash from Yellowstone's giant eruptions 2 million and 630,000 years ago, compared with ashfall from the 760,000-year-old Long Valley caldera eruptions at Mammoth Lakes, California, and the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington.
Map of volcanic ashfall. Areas of the United States that once were covered by volcanic ash from Yellowstone's giant eruptions 2 million and 630,000 years ago, compared with ashfall from the 760,000-year-old Long Valley caldera eruptions at Mammoth Lakes, California, and the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington.
![Craters of the Moon, Idaho, Landsat 7 true-color image viewed from ...](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img1345.jpg?itok=LgGAPb79)
Craters of the Moon, Idaho, Landsat 7 true-color image viewed from the east. Pioneer Mountain Range along the western border. Image created by NASA EArth Observatory.
Craters of the Moon, Idaho, Landsat 7 true-color image viewed from the east. Pioneer Mountain Range along the western border. Image created by NASA EArth Observatory.
The marsh of Water Conservation Area 3 as seen looking north of I-75
(Alligator Alley). Spatterdock are seen in the foreground.
The marsh of Water Conservation Area 3 as seen looking north of I-75
(Alligator Alley). Spatterdock are seen in the foreground.
Flooded marshes of Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA-3), seen north of I-75
(Alligator Alley).
Flooded marshes of Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA-3), seen north of I-75
(Alligator Alley).
An earthquake along a subduction zone happens when the leading edge of the overriding plate breaks free and springs seaward, raising the sea floor and the water above it. This uplift starts a tsunami. Meanwhile, the bulge behind the leading edge collapses, thinning the plate and lowering coastal areas.
An earthquake along a subduction zone happens when the leading edge of the overriding plate breaks free and springs seaward, raising the sea floor and the water above it. This uplift starts a tsunami. Meanwhile, the bulge behind the leading edge collapses, thinning the plate and lowering coastal areas.
![Cutaway views showing the internal structure of the Earth. Left: To...](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img3276.png?itok=kuzYqagm)
Cutaway views showing the internal structure of the Earth. Left: To scale drawing shows that Earth's crust is very thin. Right: Not to scale, more detail of three main layers (crust, mantle, core).
Cutaway views showing the internal structure of the Earth. Left: To scale drawing shows that Earth's crust is very thin. Right: Not to scale, more detail of three main layers (crust, mantle, core).
![Poster with illustrations of the underwater part of a bay, with text about the work done in the area.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/thumbnails/image/SFBayPosterSize.jpg?itok=l3M83l4T)
Large-scale poster describing USGS work.
The USGS mapped western San Francisco Bay using sonar, in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and C&C Technologies. Some parts of the Bay floor are so shallow that a large tanker or container ship could run aground at low tide and create a massive oil spill.
Large-scale poster describing USGS work.
The USGS mapped western San Francisco Bay using sonar, in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and C&C Technologies. Some parts of the Bay floor are so shallow that a large tanker or container ship could run aground at low tide and create a massive oil spill.
Aerial view of Assateague Island, looking north. Ocean City, Maryland, is visible in the far distance at top. Sinepuxent Bay lies between the island’s western shore and the Delmarva Peninsula to the upper left. Photograph taken in 1998
Aerial view of Assateague Island, looking north. Ocean City, Maryland, is visible in the far distance at top. Sinepuxent Bay lies between the island’s western shore and the Delmarva Peninsula to the upper left. Photograph taken in 1998
![Volcanic gases react with the atmosphere in various ways](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img3273.png?itok=NzGStmU7)
Volcanic gases react with the atmosphere in various ways; the conversion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to sulfuric acid (H2SO4) has the most significant impact on climate.
Volcanic gases react with the atmosphere in various ways; the conversion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to sulfuric acid (H2SO4) has the most significant impact on climate.
![Vog conditions on the Island of Hawai‘i vary depending on wind dire...](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/masonry/public/vhp_img5031.jpg?itok=CLlHn8rN)
During prevailing trade wind conditions, the nearly constant stream of volcanic smog (vog) produced by Kīlauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i is blown to the southwest and west. The trade winds (blue arrows) blow the vog from its main source on the volcano (white plume) to the southwest, where wind patterns send it up the island's Kona coast.
During prevailing trade wind conditions, the nearly constant stream of volcanic smog (vog) produced by Kīlauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i is blown to the southwest and west. The trade winds (blue arrows) blow the vog from its main source on the volcano (white plume) to the southwest, where wind patterns send it up the island's Kona coast.
The July 1997 hail storm damaged many parts of the Mundt Building, including the recently installed atrium ceiling. EROS History Project
The July 1997 hail storm damaged many parts of the Mundt Building, including the recently installed atrium ceiling. EROS History Project