By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 11, 2026.

In September 2025, USGS Research Geophysicist Guy Cochrane served as a technical expert on seafloor mapping and marine benthic ecosystems during two presentations in the Philippines.

By edietrich@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 11, 2026.

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of America’s National Conservation Lands, a group of over 900 landscapes managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for cultural, ecological, and scientific values. As part of a special edition of Park Stewardship Forum celebrating this anniversary, USGS and BLM collaborated on a piece highlighting key science opportunities on National Conservation Lands.

By lhsu@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 10, 2026.

Synthesis Skills for Early Career Researchers (SSECR; [SEE-ker]) is a newly-designed course organized by the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network.

By jlball@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 10, 2026.

Last week we mentioned some of the volcanic rocks in the Bay Area, and a few of you were surprised to hear that we had them. Yes, there are old volcanoes in our part of California, but we also have volcanic rocks from quite a long way away: mid-ocean ridges! How did seafloor volcanics end up on land? For that, we have to look at the story of ophiolite (not opalite - sorry Swifties).

By shouse@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 09, 2026.

In recognition of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, join us for a Friday's Findings webinar exploring USGS research on dreissenid mussel management and control.

February 20, 2026 | 2:00–2:30 PM Eastern / 11:00–11:30 AM Pacific

Presenter: Diane Waller, Supervisory Fishery Biologist, USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

By aaarcher@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 09, 2026.

New comprehensive analysis of groundwater quality from 1988 to 2022 can help water-resource managers and the public health community assess the potential risk from well water contaminants and contaminant mixtures and to develop additional guidance to protect public health. 

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 09, 2026.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about a geyser in Norris Geyser Basin that came back to life in August 2025 after a 20-year hiatus -- Valentine Geyser.

By jburton@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 06, 2026.

The USGS releases Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, the first and most authoritative source for mineral production, trade and consumption data

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 05, 2026.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff participated in a monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit caldera, Kaluapele, the morning of February 4, 2026.

By aliford@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 05, 2026.

The USGS Science Data Management Branch will be hosting two upcoming training events for USGS authors and data managers. The first will be our general ScienceBase data release training and the second will be training on how to create metadata for your data release.

By samgott@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 05, 2026.

RESTON, Va. — Low-level helicopter flights are planned over areas of Wyoming and northern Colorado to image geology using airborne geophysical technology for up to one month.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 05, 2026.

During Kīlauea summit lava fountaining episode 41, residents and visitors shared their observations of tephra falling via email, phone calls, and on social media. A new online tool, “Is Tephra Falling?” will allow people to share their observations in a more systematic way. 

By kmalpeli@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 05, 2026.

George Mason University Fish and Wildlife Adaptation Intern Andie May Hardin shares highlights and reflections from her time researching conservation translocations with the National CASC.  

By sshukla@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

A new study by several scientists examines the environmental conditions that fueled a massive algal bloom in the San Francisco Bay. By analyzing water quality, circulation, and microscopic communities, the research helps explain how rare combinations of factors can drive major ecological events, including blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo, a species first identified in Japan.

By sernst@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

A selection of coastal and ocean videos and photographs from across the USGS.

By shouse@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

USGS scientists will be sharing their latest innovations during a North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) webinar for National Invasive Species Awareness Week. 

By jlball@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

If you live in California, you've almost certainly felt an earthquake - maybe more than one. Maybe, as the residents of the Bay Area city of San Ramon are finding out, you get to feel a LOT of earthquakes. But how can we tell what's causing them? 

By lhsu@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

CDI Monthly Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month, from 11-12:30 pm Eastern Time. 

By edietrich@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 03, 2026.

In collaboration with multiple land management agencies, FORT scientists developed a new habitat suitability model to inform decision making on public lands and help conserve a rare plant.

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

In February 1996, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most devastating floods of the 20th century struck the region. The U.S. Geological Survey’s rapid response helped protect communities and earned national recognition. 

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

Updates from the Center Director, Joanna Thamke.

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

While many of California’s beaches have narrowed over time due to coastal erosion, new research from USGS and the University of California, Irvine shows that some beaches consistently defy this trend. In fact, the amount of beach growth outpaces the erosion in southern California—thanks largely to human intervention.

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

We know that Yellowstone is an active volcanic system due to the high rate of seismicity and the active ground deformation.  What happens when those two things are happening simultaneously, like they are right now?

By rlmedina@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 30, 2026.

The Humboldt River Basin Capture Query Tool (HCQT) is an interactive tool allows users to explore how groundwater pumping affects streamflow and other water sources across the Humboldt River Basin.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 29, 2026.

Large lava fountains streamed from both the north and south vents reaching heights of at least 1475 feet (450 meters) during episode 41 of Kīlauea’s summit eruption on January 24, 2026.  Strong updrafts coupled with light winds blowing to the east and north sent lava fragments from the fountains, called tephra, over much of the District of Puna and into South Hilo and the eastern edge of Kaʻū.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 29, 2026.

During episode 41 on January 24, lava fountains from the north and south vents in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea reached up at least 450 m (1475 feet). Weak surface winds in combination with stronger upper-level winds blowing to the east and north resulted in widespread tephra fall in communities to the northeast and east within the Districts of Kaʻū, Puna, and South Hilo. 

By twojtowicz@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 29, 2026.

USGS READI-Net project team members and collaborators were trained by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute staff on a next-generation environmental DNA autonomous robot—the Filtering Instrument for DNA Observation (FIDO). FIDO will enhance READI-Net’s ability to provide managers and scientists tools and strategies for early detection of biological threats.

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 28, 2026.

Important changes to how USGS water data will be delivered as we modernize our water data storage and delivery systems. 

By lowen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 28, 2026.

The USGS EROS User Services team recently added several new tutorials to their code repository. These guides help users access and work with Landsat data stored in a commercial cloud environment more effectively.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 27, 2026.

Episode 41 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea was active for 8 hours and 18 minutes on January 24, 2026. Weak surface winds in combination with stronger upper-level winds blowing to the east and north during episode 41 resulted in widespread tephra fall in communities to the north, east-northeast, and east of the eruptive vents (District of Puna on the Island of Hawaiʻi)