By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jul 01, 2026.

To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a new portrait of the nation from space. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit on June 30, 2026, following episode 50 of lava fountaining that occurred on June 27, 2026. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

Episode 50 of lava fountaining in the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at the summit of Kīlauea took place for about 7 hours on June 27, 2026.

By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

As fireworks burst across the sky this Fourth of July in celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, each vivid streak of color can be traced back to a mineral hidden beneath our feet.

By jlball@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

Is it a really overdone fried egg? A pancake? A flower? Nope, it's a volcano!

By kmalpeli@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

The USGS and partners are developing an AI-based tool capable of detecting dead and dying giant sequoia trees from high-resolution remote sensing imagery. 

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

A new study focused on the Cortes Basin, located within the Outer California Borderland offshore of southern California, presents detailed evidence of numerous stacked submarine landslides on and beneath the seafloor. The research provides new insights into how offshore fault systems and changing sea levels have shaped this region.

By jlawson@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 30, 2026.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is excited to announce the release of the Annual National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Conterminous U.S. (CU), Collection 1.2. This release builds on the popular Annual NLCD CU Collection 1.0 by extending the dataset through 2025. 

By sernst@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 29, 2026.

The next generation of the Seabed Observation and Sampling System—SEABOSS 3.0—is steadily coming to life. Building on months of cross‑center planning and knowledge sharing, the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center team recently hosted Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center ocean engineer Gerry Hatcher for a week of instrument assembly, refinement, and testing in Woods Hole, MA.

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 29, 2026.

In response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the USGS collected and released aerial imagery covering over 250 kilometers (155 miles) of the west coast of Florida.

By shipra_shukla@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jun 29, 2026.

All 58 counties in California have a history of severe flood damage. This week, Watch Duty, the free app millions use to track wildfires, expanded to monitor flooding across the 50 states. It draws on several sources, including real-time USGS streamgage data, which its reporters turn into plain-language updates. The app flags when a water level becomes dangerous, so people can act fast.

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 28, 2026.

Heat is everywhere—from the boiling hot springs and fumaroles of Yellowstone to the fast-paced action of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.  In both settings, scientists and analysts use heat maps to visualize activity, whether it's geothermal energy or the positions of players on the field. How are these maps made, and what do they reveal about their respective domains?

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 25, 2026.

Today, we say a hui hou to one of volcanology’s true giants. Professor Bruce Houghton retired last year from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa after 25 years as the Gordon A. Macdonald Chair of Volcanology—a position held by only two people in the past fifty years. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 25, 2026.

In 2025, Professor Bruce Houghton retired from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa after 25 years as the Gordon A. Macdonald Chair of Volcanology. He was only the second person to hold the position in the past half century. With his retirement, let's reflect on a career that helped shape how scientists understand explosive eruptions, volcanic hazards, and how communities live with active volcanoes.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 25, 2026.

A magnitude-3.2 earthquake occurred 8 miles (12 km) south of Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo on the Island of Hawaiʻi at a depth of 13 miles (21 km) below sea level at 8:34 a.m. HST on June 25, 2026.

By smieszek@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 25, 2026.

List of products from the New England Water Science Center released in the second quarter of 2026.

By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jun 25, 2026.

The USGS will run a dye‑tracing study in Lake Fork Creek, west of Leadville, Colorado, June 25–26, 2026, releasing a non‑toxic dye between 7–9 a.m. and monitoring it downstream.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 24, 2026.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists conducted a misty monitoring overflight of Halemaʻumaʻu at Kīlauea summit on June 24, 2026. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 24, 2026.

On Wednesday, June 24, 8:29 a.m. HST, a magnitude-3.6 earthquake occurred 9 mi (14 km) south of the village of Volcano on the Island of Hawaiʻi at a depth of 5 mi (7 km) below sea level. The earthquake had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea volcanoes. 

By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jun 24, 2026.

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of undiscovered gas and oil in the Buda Limestone formation near the Texas Gulf Coast, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 184 billion cubic feet of gas and 12 million barrels of oil.

By cduzet@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 24, 2026.

Researchers propose a practical approach to help scientists better understand and serve natural resource managers. 

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 23, 2026.

USGS Research Geologist Curt Storlazzi is among more than 650 international scientists contributing to the United Nations' third World Ocean Assessment, now available in a dynamic, easy-to-navigate web format.

By jmbaker@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 23, 2026.

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

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 22, 2026.

A magnitude-3.8 earthquake occurred 13 miles (21 km) south of Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo on the Island of Hawaiʻi at a depth of 3 mi (6 km) below sea level at 6:20 a.m. HST on June 22, 2026.
 

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 21, 2026.

Early on the morning of Saturday, June 13, 2026, a small hydrothermal explosion occurred at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Although smaller than the explosion that occurred in the same area in 2024, it emphasizes the dynamic and hazardous nature of hydrothermal activity in the region.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 19, 2026.

Over the last year and a half, the historic episodic eruption at the summit of Kīlauea has had 49 episodes of lava fountaining, with episode 50 in the forecast for next week. But why are these individual fountaining events considered episodes instead of separate eruptions, and what’s the difference?

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 18, 2026.

Over the last year and a half, Kīlauea’s summit has produced an impressive 49 episodes of lava fountaining—and episode 50 may be just around the corner. Why are these considered episodes instead of separate eruptions?

By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jun 18, 2026.

RESTON, Va. — The southern Appalachian region of the eastern United States contains an estimated 1.43 million metric tons of undiscovered, economically recoverable lithium oxide, enough to replace 201 years of U.S. imports at last year’s level, according to new research by the U.S. Geological Survey. 

By jolene_gittens@ios.doi.gov from All News. Published on Jun 18, 2026.

RESTON, Va. – The U.S. Geological Survey plans low-level helicopter flights over southern Colorado to image geology using airborne geophysical technology. The survey will begin in June and continue for two months, weather and other flight restrictions permitting.

By sernst@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jun 18, 2026.

Around the world, scientists are using the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Waves-Sediment Transport (COAWST) Modeling System to better understand and forecast short-term changes in coastal conditions. To showcase the breadth of this work, the USGS developed the COAWST Applications Catalog—a collection of published COAWST-based studies spanning multiple countries, coastlines, and scientific questions.