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

Lava fountaining episode 52 at the summit of Kīlauea took place over about 7.5 hours on July 28-29, 2026, coinciding with a full moon. 

By jlball@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 29, 2026.

Geology can be a very descriptive science, and sometimes the terms they use are both informative and playful. When lava is extruded underwater, or flows into water, a diagnostic shape called “pillow lava” can form. 

By ckandel@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 29, 2026.

Love to work outdoors?  Ready for a job involving opportunities for independence and teamwork maintaining and troubleshooting at the front line of USGS water data collection?   We have a current job opening for a hydrologic technician in our Richmond office. 

By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jul 28, 2026.

RESTON, Va. – Low-level airplane flights will begin as soon as late July over eastern Kansas to image geology using airborne geophysical technology. 

By kkovacs@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 28, 2026.

August 8 marks Hawaiian Honeycreeper Celebration Day, which recognizes Hawai'i's unique native forest birds. This Friday's Findings will showcase how USGS scientists are helping support native bird conservation in Hawai'i.

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 28, 2026.

Natural and engineered sand dunes serve as barriers to protect against storms. Engineered sand dunes, called "Nature-based Solutions", are increasingly being used for coastal protection, yet their effectiveness remains understudied. New research finds that dunes' flood protection benefits depend not only on the size of the storm, but also on how the dunes themselves change during the event.

By jlawson@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 28, 2026.

Any number of satellites can show us what the Earth’s surface looks like now—but only the Landsat Program can reveal more than 50 years of change. We can watch cities grow, farmland shrink, and forests and lakes fluctuate. 

By jmbaker@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 27, 2026.

Learn about 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) lidar data for Wisconsin in the new fact sheet -
The 3D Elevation Program - Supporting Wisconsin's Economy

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 26, 2026.

Although not as dramatic as past explosive eruptions at Yellowstone, Idaho is home to several young volcanic eruptions. Geologists are currently evaluating whether many of these young eruptions should be considered individual volcanoes or lumped together as a volcanic field.

By meredith_hartwell@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jul 24, 2026.

A new USGS study estimates that adult humpback chub in western Grand Canyon increased roughly 160-fold between 2010 and 2024, a large population increase within this river segment, even as the long-term resilience of the population overall remains unknown.

By richard_young@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jul 24, 2026.

The South Atlantic Water Science Center has integrated regionalization models for estimating Low-Flow Frequency Statistics at ungaged locations into the USGS StreamStats web application. This new functionality allows users to generate reports on basin characteristics, low-flow statistics, and mean annual flow, for Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

By tara_gross@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jul 24, 2026.

Texas StreamStats with new LiDAR-derived data provides an opportunity for improved accuracy of watershed delineations and streamlines.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 23, 2026.

Today, we’re taking a look at how scientists track movement at Earth’s largest active volcano—Mauna Loa. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 23, 2026.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) relies heavily on Global Positioning System (GPS) data to monitor volcanic activity in Hawaii. Data are collected by a combination of permanent stations and annual surveys, which give scientists a picture of Mauna Loa’s changing shape over time. 

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 22, 2026.

Nearly two hundred miles offshore of the Oregon/California border lies Escanaba Trough, a unique mid-ocean ridge covered in deep sediment up to 500 meters thick, dotted with active hydrothermal vent systems. Detailed study of its geologic structure has long been hindered by those thick layers of sediment—until now.

By lcolasuonno@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 21, 2026.

A poster about the Community for Data Integration (CDI) at the 2026 Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Meeting highlights CDI projects and products.

By kknotts@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 20, 2026.

By Karl Blankenship

Bay Journal, July 20, 2026

Last fall on Marshyhope Creek, which flows into the Nanticoke River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, biologists found something they thought they might never see: six adult female sturgeon that appeared ready to spawn. 

By aaarcher@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 20, 2026.

Excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in streams can lead to the need for costly water treatment and ecosystem management. New USGS nutrient models examine how nutrients move from landscape to streams, including how past pollution affects water quality today. These models quantify nutrient loads (by source), yields, delivery, and concentrations seasonally over time.

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 19, 2026.

At least 28 rhyolitic lava flows, domes, and tuffs erupted since the formation of Yellowstone Caldera 631,000 years ago. Yellowstone’s past also includes multiple glacial periods. Are the eruptions and glaciations related?

By jrichie@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 17, 2026.

Join us in celebration of International Moon Day held on July 20, marking the anniversary of the first human landing on the Moon during Apollo 11 in 1969. Our nearest neighbor has made headlines for over 50 years, and still serves as an analog for our present and future pursuit of new knowledge of our Solar System. 

By lowen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 17, 2026.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has published a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Landsat 10 Spacecraft. Proposals are due August 13, 2026.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 16, 2026.

A question we hear often is Will the lava erupting in Halemaʻumaʻu eventually flow out of Kīlauea summit caldera?  

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 16, 2026.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has been publishing weekly “Volcano Watch” articles for over 30 years. Now, we are launching another weekly feature, the “Volcano Minute,” a brief audio update for radio stations and available online! 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 16, 2026.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff are often asked, “Will lava erupted during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu eventually flow out of the caldera? And if so, when?” The answer is complicated... 

By twojtowicz@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 16, 2026.

To help inform big game-related restoration priorities, the USGS and their collaborators assessed the drivers of change in mule deer fawn-to-doe ratios over 20 years in Wyoming in summer and winter use areas.

By aaarcher@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 16, 2026.

Researchers, students, and partners from across organizations came together at the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) to conduct the facility's first coordinated research, development, and innovation activities, demonstrating the HIF’s role as a national platform for water science and technology development. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 16, 2026.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists completed a helicopter overflight of Halema‘uma‘u on July 16, following Kīlauea summit eruption episode 51 the day before.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 15, 2026.

Episode 51 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 8:30 a.m. HST on July 15, 2026.

By ssoileau@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 15, 2026.

As part of ongoing efforts required under the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy to monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) captures and monitors grizzly bears for research and monitoring purposes. Here you will find capture notifications for the current field season.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jul 14, 2026.

On Tuesday, July 14, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists completed a brief monitoring helicopter overflight of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea.