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Explore our planet through photography and imagery, including climate change and water all the way back to the 1800s when the USGS was surveying the country by horse and buggy.

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Canada lynx
Canada Lynx
Canada Lynx
Canada Lynx

– Scientists at the USGS Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in
collaboration with The Rockefeller University’s Vertebrate Genome Laboratory,
New York, are releasing to a public repository at the vertebrate lab, for use by

– Scientists at the USGS Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in
collaboration with The Rockefeller University’s Vertebrate Genome Laboratory,
New York, are releasing to a public repository at the vertebrate lab, for use by

June 2018 Flow on Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (06425100)
June 2018 Flow on Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (06425100)
June 2018 Flow on Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (06425100)
June 2018 Flow on Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (06425100)

USGS Hydrologic Technician Kammy Durham measuring discharge of Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (streamgage 06407500), to capture peak flow after heavy rains during the week of June 18, 2018. The flow at this streamgage was 81 cubic feet per second on June 21, 2018.

USGS Hydrologic Technician Kammy Durham measuring discharge of Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (streamgage 06407500), to capture peak flow after heavy rains during the week of June 18, 2018. The flow at this streamgage was 81 cubic feet per second on June 21, 2018.

June 2018 Flow on Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (06407500)
June 2018 Flow on Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (06407500)
June 2018 Flow on Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (06407500)
June 2018 Flow on Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (06407500)

USGS Hydrologic Technician Kammy Durham measuring discharge of Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (streamgage 06407500), to capture peak flow after heavy rains during the week of June 18, 2018. The flow at this streamgage was 69 cubic feet per second on June 21, 2018.

USGS Hydrologic Technician Kammy Durham measuring discharge of Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (streamgage 06407500), to capture peak flow after heavy rains during the week of June 18, 2018. The flow at this streamgage was 69 cubic feet per second on June 21, 2018.

Aerial of ocean entries
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 and Ocean Entries
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 and Ocean Entries
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 and Ocean Entries

Early morning view of the ocean entry. The lava fountain from fissure 8 is visible behind the laze plume rising from the entry point. The open lava flowchannel is visible just beyond the solidified darker flows in the foreground.

Early morning view of the ocean entry. The lava fountain from fissure 8 is visible behind the laze plume rising from the entry point. The open lava flowchannel is visible just beyond the solidified darker flows in the foreground.

Fissure with lava going into a lava channel
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Lava Channel
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Lava Channel
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Lava Channel

Fissure 8 continues building a tephra cone and producing a robust channelized lava flow on Kīlauea Volcano's Lower East Rift Zone.

Fissure 8 continues building a tephra cone and producing a robust channelized lava flow on Kīlauea Volcano's Lower East Rift Zone.

View of the crater
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema‘uma‘u Crater Continues Enlarging
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema‘uma‘u Crater Continues Enlarging
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema‘uma‘u Crater Continues Enlarging

The USGS UAS (unoccupied aircraft system) team took this photograph of Halema‘uma‘u Crater from the Kīlauea Overlook on this morning. They are preparing for a flight to map further subsidence at the summit.

The USGS UAS (unoccupied aircraft system) team took this photograph of Halema‘uma‘u Crater from the Kīlauea Overlook on this morning. They are preparing for a flight to map further subsidence at the summit.

Aerial of lava channel
Kīlauea Volcano — Wide Lava Channel
Kīlauea Volcano — Wide Lava Channel
Kīlauea Volcano — Wide Lava Channel

At a wide point in the channelized lava flow, a ropy crust has formed over the more fluid lava below.

At a wide point in the channelized lava flow, a ropy crust has formed over the more fluid lava below.

Bar chart showing use of water in 2015, by state and by category of use.
Bar chart showing use of water in 2015, by state and category of use
Bar chart showing use of water in 2015, by state and category of use
Bar chart showing use of water in 2015, by state and category of use

Bar chart showing use of water in 2015, by state and category of use

Discharge Measurement on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
Discharge Measurement on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
Discharge Measurement on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
Discharge Measurement on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD

On June 20, 2018, hydrologic technician Kammy Durham measured a discharge of 209 cubic feet per second on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD (streamgage 06436180) after the watershed received about 2 inches of rain the previous evening. Streams in the Black Hills of western South Dakota can rise and fall quickly in response to rain.

On June 20, 2018, hydrologic technician Kammy Durham measured a discharge of 209 cubic feet per second on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD (streamgage 06436180) after the watershed received about 2 inches of rain the previous evening. Streams in the Black Hills of western South Dakota can rise and fall quickly in response to rain.

Geologists at work monitoring Kīlauea's Lower East Rift Zone erupti...
Geologists at work monitoring Kīlauea's LERZ eruption
Geologists at work monitoring Kīlauea's LERZ eruption
Geologists at work monitoring Kīlauea's LERZ eruption

Geologist makes early morning observations of the lava fountain and channelized flow at fissure 8 in Leilani Estates.

Geologist makes early morning observations of the lava fountain and channelized flow at fissure 8 in Leilani Estates.

Fissure 8 and lava channel from above
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Aerial
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Aerial
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Aerial

Fissure 8 lava fountains reached as high as about 50 m (164 ft) during the past day.

Fissure 8 lava fountains reached as high as about 50 m (164 ft) during the past day.

Person standing looking at a fissure at night time.
Kīlauea Volcano — Geologists Monitoring Lower East Rift Zone Eruption
Kīlauea Volcano — Geologists Monitoring Lower East Rift Zone Eruption
Kīlauea Volcano — Geologists Monitoring Lower East Rift Zone Eruption

Geologist makes early morning observations of the lava fountain and channelized flow at fissure 8 in Leilani Estates.

GPS monitoring station on the caldera floor
Kīlauea Volcano — GPS Station
Kīlauea Volcano — GPS Station
Kīlauea Volcano — GPS Station

A temporary GPS station (with radio telemetry for continuous measurement) was installed this week on the Kīlauea caldera floor to track the ongoing subsidence of the summit area. The data will help to characterize the extent and rate of the subsidence.

A temporary GPS station (with radio telemetry for continuous measurement) was installed this week on the Kīlauea caldera floor to track the ongoing subsidence of the summit area. The data will help to characterize the extent and rate of the subsidence.

Looking down at the crater where the parking lot used to be.
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema`uma`u Parking Lot Gone
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema`uma`u Parking Lot Gone
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema`uma`u Parking Lot Gone

View of the southern edge of the growing Halema‘uma‘u crater (middle right) during yesterday's helicopter-assisted work at Kīlauea's summit. The once-popular parking lot (closed since 2008) that provided access to Halema‘uma‘u is no longer—the parking lot fell into the crater this past week as more and more of the Kīlauea Crater floor slides into Halema‘uma‘u.

View of the southern edge of the growing Halema‘uma‘u crater (middle right) during yesterday's helicopter-assisted work at Kīlauea's summit. The once-popular parking lot (closed since 2008) that provided access to Halema‘uma‘u is no longer—the parking lot fell into the crater this past week as more and more of the Kīlauea Crater floor slides into Halema‘uma‘u.

Aerial view of lava channels
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Channel from Fissure 8
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Channel from Fissure 8
Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Channel from Fissure 8

Lava from fissure 8 travels about 13 km (8 mi) to the ocean in an open channel. Lava remains incandescent (glowing orange) throughout its journey. The ocean entry is at upper right.

Lava from fissure 8 travels about 13 km (8 mi) to the ocean in an open channel. Lava remains incandescent (glowing orange) throughout its journey. The ocean entry is at upper right.

Laze plume from ocean entry
Kīlauea Volcano — Multiple Laze Plumes
Kīlauea Volcano — Multiple Laze Plumes
Kīlauea Volcano — Multiple Laze Plumes

Small streams of lava enter the ocean across a broad area, shown by the multiple white steam and laze plumes. Lava has added about 380 acres of new land into the sea.

Small streams of lava enter the ocean across a broad area, shown by the multiple white steam and laze plumes. Lava has added about 380 acres of new land into the sea.

Close up view of pāhoehoe
Kīlauea Volcano — Sluggish Pāhoehoe
Kīlauea Volcano — Sluggish Pāhoehoe
Kīlauea Volcano — Sluggish Pāhoehoe

Sluggish pāhoehoe briefly spills over a section the levee along the well-established lava channel. Such overflows generally travel short distances measured in meters (yards).

Sluggish pāhoehoe briefly spills over a section the levee along the well-established lava channel. Such overflows generally travel short distances measured in meters (yards).

A geologist points a thermal camera at a fissure to take a temperature reading
Kīlauea Volcano — Temperature Readings
Kīlauea Volcano — Temperature Readings
Kīlauea Volcano — Temperature Readings

HVO geologist measures 260 degrees C (500 degrees F) along ground cracks near fissure 10 in Leilani Estates. Geologists routinely make temperature measurements to track changes throughout the fissure complex in the lower East Rift Zone.

HVO geologist measures 260 degrees C (500 degrees F) along ground cracks near fissure 10 in Leilani Estates. Geologists routinely make temperature measurements to track changes throughout the fissure complex in the lower East Rift Zone.

Map of the U.S. by state, showing total water withdrawals, 2015
Map of the U.S. by state, showing total water withdrawals, 2015
Map of the U.S. by state, showing total water withdrawals, 2015
Diagram showing source and use of freshwater in the U.S. in 2015, by category
Source and use of freshwater in the U.S. in 2015
Source and use of freshwater in the U.S. in 2015
Source and use of freshwater in the U.S. in 2015

Source and Use of Freshwater in the United States, 2015

This diagram uses a "cylinder and pipe" layout to show the source (surface water or groundwater) of the Nation's freshwater and for what purposes the water was used in 2015. The data are broken out for each category of use by surface water and groundwater as the source.

Source and Use of Freshwater in the United States, 2015

This diagram uses a "cylinder and pipe" layout to show the source (surface water or groundwater) of the Nation's freshwater and for what purposes the water was used in 2015. The data are broken out for each category of use by surface water and groundwater as the source.

Spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon
Spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon
Spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon
Spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon

A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers.

A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers.

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