Videos

The USGS Coastal Change Hazards team works to identify and address the Nation’s coastal change hazards problems.  By integrating research, technical capabilities and applications, and stakeholder engagement and communications, the Coastal Change Hazards team develops robust and accessible coastal change assessments, forecasts, and tools that help improve the lives,

The lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active but has diminished in area and vigor over the past month. This thermal timelapse sequence shows the changes in the lake activity over the past month. In mid-April the area of active surface lava in the lake was approximately 7.5 acres (3 hectares).

Jon Major, scientist-in-charge of the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, provides an overview of the major volcano hazards in the Cascades, the function and responsibilities of the Cascades Volcano Observatory, and a brief synopsis of what's been going on at Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St.

It's May, the snow is melting and the roads are mostly open, so it's time for geologists, geophysicist and geochemists to head into Yellowstone to start projects they have been planning for the last several months. Next week, a field team will deploy a temporary GPS network to help “densify” the network of continuous GPS stations already in place.

We are the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program. Our mission is to provide science for sustainable stewardship of Earth’s precious resources.

We are the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program. Our mission is to provide science for sustainable stewardship of Earth’s precious resources.

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was monumental in so many different ways. It had a huge impact on the geography of southwestern Washington, ash affected many people, lives were lost, and lessons were learned. The eruption also led to the creation of the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video is shown at 30x speed and shows the lava supplying the lake from the western fissure, with scattered crustal foundering across the lake surface. 
 

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video is shown at 20x speed and shows the lava supplying the lake from the western fissure. 
 

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video shows spattering from a small vent at the western fissure. 
 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a routine helicopter overflight of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Active surface lava remains limited to a small area in the western portion of the lake, with the eastern portion solidified at the surface.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the east rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater to make observations of Kīlauea's summit lava lake and survey the eastern portion of the crater. This video compilation shows different aspects of the lake activity in the western portion of the crater. 

This video shows the inlet along the western margin of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The lava stream was moving slowly but steadily, and was emerging beneath a portion of crust attached to the lake margin. The video is shown at 10x speed.
 

KPcam webcam on the flank of Mauna Loa looks south towards the summit of Kīlauea to monitor the gas plume from the active lava lake. This time-lapse video shows a typical day for the summit plume. Clear views in the night and morning show the low, ground-hugging plume carried to the southwest by the tradewinds.

The good news is that volcanoes usually change behavior before they erupt, in ways that are detectable by monitoring instruments.

There are thousands of volcanic features distributed throughout the southwest United States, which are grouped together in volcanic fields. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monitors these volcanoes using a combination of techniques.

The lava lake remains active in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This video shows the inlet where lava from the western fissure is supplied to the lake. The motion of the lava stream is sluggish, and this video is shown at 20x speed.
 

Throughout most of human existence, we haven't known much about how volcanoes work. Because of their immense power, they have terrified and fascinated us, and remain places of great spiritual importance for many people. The lack of knowledge about volcanoes has sometimes resulted in tragic and deadly disasters.

The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) is a team of USGS scientists funded by USAID and the USGS Volcano Hazards Program to help volcano observatories around the world.

This thermal video shows the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava is supplied from the western fissure, in the upper left portion of the video. Small vent openings atop the western fissure exhibit rhythmic gas puffing. The video is shown at 5x speed. 
 

This time-lapse sequence shows the growth of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The sequence starts on December 28, about a week after the start of the eruption and ends on March 10, 2021. The lake rises rapidly at first but then eventually slows down as the eruption rate gradually declines.