Home | Contact The Help Desk | Internet & Marketing Services
By Cameron DavisOver the last few weeks, we have announced million of dollars in funding for EPA-Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant investments across the Great Lakes basin. The only way the Great Lakes will be restored is through partner organizations and agencies doing their best work on the…
Although it may seem that we are having more earthquakes, earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have remained fairly constant throughout this century and, according to our records, have actually seemed to decrease in recent years. There are several reasons for the perception that the number of…
We generally emphasize the following four points: a) Select a coordinate system (also called a "position format") you feel comforatble using. We suggest using Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) or latitude/longitude. Most users find UTM coordinates easier to locate on USGS…
Oil has been produced from the Bakken Formation since the 1950’s. However, drilling has increased significantly in the last several years. The USGS does not maintain statistics on oil production, however, this information can be obtained from publicly available sources like the North Dakota…
Floods are a dangerous hazard throughout the world, and most people underestimate the power of flood waters. On average, in the United States, about 165 people are killed and about $2 billion of damage occurs each year. Several types of data can be collected to assist hydrologists predict when and…
United States earthquakes (by region or by state) Largest earthquakes (for each state) Earthquake Searchable Catalog The ANSS (Advanced National Seismic System) Composite Catalog Northern California Southern California Nevada Pacific Northwest
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…
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…
Not usually. Earthquakes associated with eruptions rarely exceed magnitude 5, and these moderate earthquakes are not big enough to destroy the kinds of buildings, houses, and roads that were demolished in the movie. The largest earthquakes at Mount St. Helens in 1980 were magnitude 5, large enough…
Coral reefs can be damaged by natural processes, such as storms, but they are increasingly at risk from human activities. Oil spills and pollutants can threaten entire reefs. Excessive nutrients from land sources, such as sewage and agricultural fertilizers, promote the growth of algae that can…
Photographic reproduction of images from the USGS film archives ceased on September 3, 2004. However, aerial photographs can be ordered in either of two digital formats through EarthExplorer . Go to the web documentation for a complete description of these changes. For those who specifically need…
Everybody. The USGS' BRD research and information is in the public domain. It's available through the Internet on the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) at http://www.nbii.gov/ .