Images

After collecting a sample from the well using the narrow sampler shown, HVO staff transfer the water sample into a container. The water is collected periodically for chemical analyses so that changes in the water composition can be tracked. For more information about the Keller Well, please see HVO's Dec.

The communications hub at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is precariously perched on the north rim, which is actively collapsing. This hub, and the PN cam behind the hub (to the left of image) will ultimately fall into the crater as the north rim continues to collapse.

Joseph Terrano of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center prepares water level loggers to install near the marsh shoreline in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.

On Tuesday, December 10 HVO staff visited Keller Well, a deep borehole at the summit of Kīlauea, to take quarterly measurements and samples. This photo shows an extra long measuring tape, which has a sensor attached to the end, being lowered into the well to measure the distance to the top of the water table.

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys. Pictured here is a coral at Crocker Reef in the upper Florida Keys.

Angel Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Travertine deposits are abundant in the area. Photo by JoAnn Holloway, 2003.

Water collected from the lake at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u is prepared for laboratory analyses at the USGS California Volcano Observatory. Results thus far reveal chemistry indicative of complex reactions among the water, magmatic gases and Kīlauea's basaltic rocks. 

The sampling mechanism (on blue tarp) is prepared and the Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) is inspected just before take off to collect water from the Halema‘uma‘u crater lake. Brightly colored flagging tape tied to a cable attached to the UAS indicated depth as the sampling tool was lowered into the water. 

USGS-HVO scientists and DOI UAS team members collect samples of water from the Halema‘uma‘u crater lake. 

On November 15, 2019, USGS HVO field engineers rapidly deployed a new data-telemetry hub near Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. A crack near an important telemetry hub at near the summit of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō was observed to be growing over the past several weeks and HVO field engineers prepared a contingency telemetry hub to install nearby if necessary.

On November 8, 2019, USGS volcano scientists visited Kīlauea's Lower East Rift Zone to measure ambient gases, as well as the soil carbon dioxide (CO2) flux and temperature. This photo, looking in a southeast direction, shows some steaming uprift of the 2018 fissure system.

USGS scientists measured gases in an area uprift of the 2018 fissure system on November 8. In this area, vegetation has died because of lingering heat and steam. In some areas of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone, residents report smelling gases that are likely generated by decaying organic matter rather than magma degassing. USGS image by P. Nadeau.

In Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone, a closed chamber was used to measure the rate of CO2 emitted directly from the ground near a crack emitting steam. USGS scientists continue to track changes in Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone after last year's eruption. USGS image by P. Nadeau.

Thirty Bureau of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) senior staff members received USGS/IRIS training in Advanced Seismology and Tsunami Warnings (Oct. 14-18, 2019). Most of the staff members are in this photo.

Sediments in estuarine and marsh environments contain organic peat, or material derived from life, that plays an important role in ecosystem health. Here, USGS geologist Chris Smith of the St.

USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.

USGS scientists collect gas from the Puhimau thermal area on Chain of Craters Road in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The gas is collected in evacuated (vacuum-pumped so that no gas at all is inside) glass bottles, and a system of a syringe with tubing helped ensure minimal contamination by ambient atmospheric gases.

USGS scientists collect gas from the Puhimau thermal area on Chain of Craters Road in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The gas is collected in evacuated (vacuum-pumped so that no gas at all is inside) glass bottles, and a system of a syringe with tubing helped ensure minimal contamination by ambient atmospheric gases.

Puhimau thermal area has the largest naturally occurring population of the endangered plant, Portulaca sclerocarpa (marked by the blue flag in the photo), and is the site of National Park Service restoration efforts for this species.

USGS scientists Brandon Nasr, Jenna Hill, Nora Nieminski, and Jenny McKee removing a sediment-filled core liner from the jumbo piston core barrel with the picturesque northern California coastline in the background.

The Field trip guide to Mount St. Helens, Washington—Recent and ancient volcaniclastic processes and deposits is available in the USGS Publications Warehouse, at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175022E.