Home | Contact The Help Desk | Internet & Marketing Services
By Erica ArnoldIn August, I had the incredible opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas on sustainability with students from Japan, Poland, and Thailand. At the Toshiba Youth Conference 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand, four other students, two teachers and I had the honor of representing the US at a…
Lava and Lava Flows The temperature of basalt lava at Kilauea reaches 1,160 degrees Celsius (2,120 degrees Fahrenheit). -- USGS/VHP Website, 1998 The tube system (lava tubes) of episode 53 (Pu'u O'o eruption, Hawaii) carried lava for 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the vent to the sea. So…
Continuous real-time water quality information is at http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/wqwatch/ . These data are limited to measurable characteristics such as temperature, turbidity, specific conductance (salinity), dissolved oxygen, and pH (acidity). WaterQualityWatch is a USGS web site that…
The data on GeoChange are no newer than 1991. More comprehensive data are available at the Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) at JPL in Pasadena. For specific data covering coastal areas, consult the NOAA CoastWatch Program . Some overview information on CoastWatch is…
Go to the Natural Hazards Gateway , which includes: Earthquakes Floods Geomagnetism (solar flares, etc.) Hurricanes Landslides Seismic Zone Mapping Sinkholes Tsunamis Volcanoes Wildfires
An advisory is a general statement about the potential of landslide activity in a given region relative to developing rainfall predictions. An advisory may include general statements about rainfall conditions that can lead to debris-flow activity, and list precautions to be taken in the event of…
Historical USGS topographic maps are important map resources that are not readily available. Therefore, the USGS has begun a project to convert all these historical printed topographic quadrangles to digital formats (initially GeoPDF). Learn more at http://nationalmap.gov/historical/ . …
You can purchase topographic maps several ways: Download or online from the USGS Store at http://store.usgs.gov Click on Maps in the left margin or click on the Map Locator near the center of the screen. Topographic maps in GeoPDF format are available for free download by using the Map…
During the three giant caldera-forming eruptions that occurred between 2.1 million and 640,000 years ago, tiny particles of volcanic debris ( volcanic ash ) covered much of the western half of North America, likely a third of a meter deep several hundred kilometers from Yellowstone and several…
Fool's Gold can be one of three minerals; the most common mineral mistaken for gold is pyrite, chalcopyrite may also appear gold-like, and weathered biotite mica can mimic flake gold.
Yes. The main body of subsurface water is found in the saturated zone of aquifers. Aquifers can be only a few feet below the surface or more than a thousand feet deep. Aquifers are the primary source of drinking water in arid and semi-arid parts of the United States where the amount of surface water…
No. In groundwater work the USGS puts a lot of effort in measuring the water levels in observation wells. Since water levels in aquifers can change (for a variety of reasons) we need to keep accurate records of these changes, and what factors affect them. Water levels in wells can definitely be…