Images

Hydrothermal system and water flow in the subsurface beneath Long Valley Caldera, California. Cartoon Illustration from USGS FS 2007-3045.

Image showing the bathymetry of the southern Gulf of Maine with the Massachusetts coastal zone boundary outlined in grey. The images on the right display how the geophysical and sample data are combined to create an interpretation of seafloor geology

Bathymetry of of the southern Gulf of Maine with the Massachusetts coastal zone boundary outlined in grey.

Shaded relief backscatter image of a shipwreck near Cuttyhunk, MA

Shaded relief image of Woods Hole, MA

Swath bathymetry and derivative products such as slope, hillshaded relief, and rugosity maps provide information not only on water depth, but also the roughness and smoothness of the sea floor, which correlates with sea floor texture and depositional environment.

 Inner continental shelf sediment textures within western Massachusetts Bay classified using Barnhardt and others (1998). Bottom photographs A-D show sediment texture in select locations (photograph locations are shown as white dots on the sediment texture map).

Sediment texture and distribution data were mapped qualitatively in Esri ArcGIS using a hierarchical methodology. Backscatter data were the first input, followed by bathymetry, surficial geologic and shallow stratigraphic interpretations, and photograph and sample databases. DEM, digital elevation model.

The USGS, in cooperation with Santa Cruz County and the California Department of Boating and Waterways, studied the seacliffs, ocean floor, and waves of Pleasure Point, California.   We created detailed maps of the seacliffs and ocean floor using LIDAR laser scanners and sonar.

The southern coastline of Maui, Hawaii, taken from the air, clearly showing old lava flows.

On July 21, 2007, an erupting fissure opened on the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and propagated eastward toward Kupaianaha.

This event occurred on October 4, 2007 in La Jolla, California. A landslide, perhaps first indicated in July by cracks appearing in pavement and homes along Soledad Mountain Road, struck suddenly when a massive slab of hillside broke loose, sending tons of dirt cascading toward streets below.

Aerial photo of Mount Shasta's southwestern flank in a low-snow period. The Hotlum cone is on the right, while the Shastina dome is to the left.

Flood debris was caught in barbed wire fence after the Hermosa flood. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.

This trailer was moved and damaged by flood waters during the Hermosa flood. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.

A large tree was deposited on the back of this truck by flood waters during the Hermosa flood. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.

U.S. Geological Survey employees survey high water marks following the Hermosa flood. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.

Battle Creek near Hermosa, SD, on August 20, 2007. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD. A peak flow of 18,600 cubic feet per second was determined at USGS streamgage 06406000 (Battle Creek near Hermosa, SD) following the Hermosa flood.

Water standing in the ditch alongside the railroad tracks near Hermosa, SD, on August 20, 2007. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.

This bridge site about 2 to 3 miles west of Hermosa, SD, along Highway 40 was scoured by Battle Creek flood waters in 2007. A system of severe thunderstorms on August 17, 2007, caused heavy precipitation and flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.

The bridge abutments were scoured by Battle Creek flood waters during the August 17, 2007, storm that caused flash flooding in and near Hermosa, SD.