Images

A USGS student employee and sophomore at the Colorado School of Mines, was among the first hired by USGS using Recovery Act funding to upgrade the seismic stations of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Backbone.

The volcanoes from closest to farthest are Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson. This picture is taken from Middle Sister looking north in the Cascade Range, Three Sisters Wilderness Area, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon.

Picture taken while climbing Mt. Hood, Oregon, at sunset looking east.

Sand Dune Cape Henlopen, Delaware.

Camps Bay, South Africa

Sunset over Camps Bay, South Africa

False Bay, South Africa

2009 Red River flooding in Grand Forks, North Dakota

2009 Red River flooding in Grand Forks, North Dakota

Pedernales River at Hamilton Pool Crossing after September 1952 flood. Trees destroyed by flood of September 11, 1952.  Discharge of Pedernales River near Spicewood, TX (USGS station 08154000) was 452,000 cfs.

Full view of the ground with the San Andreas fault running through the middle of the image. A 30 foot steam offset from the 1857 earthquake can be seen near the right edge of the image.

View looking southeast along the surface trace of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, north of Wallace Creek. Elkhorn Rd. meets the fault near the top of the photo.

Shipwrecks and other artificial structures increase the potential for large invasions of unwanted species into coral reefs, even relatively pristine ones. In this picture, a shipwreck in the remote Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean resulted in the dense colonization of an invasive coral-like species called Rhodactis howesii, pictured here.

Shipwrecks and other artificial structures increase the potential for large invasions of unwanted species into coral reefs, even relatively pristine ones. In this picture, a shipwreck in the remote Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean resulted in the dense colonization of an invasive coral-like species called Rhodactis howesii, pictured here.

Shipwrecks and other artificial structures increase the potential for large invasions of unwanted species into coral reefs, even relatively pristine ones. In this picture, a shipwreck in the remote Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean resulted in the dense colonization of an invasive coral-like species called Rhodactis howesii, pictured here.

Tributary to Snake Creek, near Whitesburg, Georgia, showing a washed out bridge. When bridges such as this one collapse during a flood, it is rarely the pressure of the rushing water against the bridge that causes the bridge to fail.

An Alaska Volcano Observatory Monitoring station with Peulik Volcano behind. This is the main repeater for the Peulik monitoring network located on Whale Mountain, Beecharaof National Wildlife Refuge.

Taken while on a cruise vacation in Bermuda in June 2008.

A cathedral in the central square of Chillán, Chile replaces the ancient cathedral that collapsed during the strong earthquake of 1939. This modern structure was constructed with earthquake resistance as the primary consideration. The only damage caused by the M 8.8 earthquake on Feb. 27, 2010 was broken windows.

A masonry building in the downtown part of Concepcion, Chile partially collapsed as a result of the M 8.8 earthquake on Feb. 27, 2010. Most modern buildings in Concepcion were undamaged during the earthquake due to the city's adoption of adequate building standards. However, many masonry buildings such as this one were heavily damaged.

These offices buildings in Concepcion, Chile were built to be tsunami-ready. They are elevated some 10 meters (32 feet) above the ground surface, such that a tsunami inundation would pass below without causing damage.