USGS✓

500 million years of Earth’s history are written in the rocks of the Sierra Nevada. 🗺️⛰️ The Sierra Nevada is one of the most iconic landscapes in the western U.S., a major mountain range stretching north to south along eastern California and into a small portion of western Nevada. Its rocks hold a story that spans more than 500 million years. Now, the Sierra Nevada Earth Science Atlas brings that story into sharper focus. Created through a collaboration between the @CAGeoSurvey and the USGS, the Atlas provides the most detailed geologic framework of the Sierra Nevada to date. Why does that matter? Detailed geologic maps help scientists and resource managers understand what lies beneath the surface, from the rocks and faults that shape the landscape to the mineral resources and geologic processes that affect the region. From ancient ocean deposits and volcanic islands to massive mountain-building events, erosion and glaciation, the Atlas captures the geologic processes that shaped the Sierra Nevada we see today. This initial release features a geologic map and descriptive text, with more components of the full Atlas coming soon. Upcoming map layers will depict carbonate rocks, fossils, metallic mineralization regions, and geochronology data, along with an associated report. Explore the Atlas 👉 📽️ Video consisting of several clips of the Sierra Nevada Earth Science Atlas. The video pans and zooms across the map to show different geographic and geologic features. The video includes close-up views of map details, the legend, and the entire atlas.

Ready to go batty? 🦇 Celebrate Bat Week with a few fun facts about these nighttime flyers! 🦇 Bats eat – a lot! A single little brown bat, which has a body no bigger than an adult human’s thumb, can eat 4 to 8 grams (the weight of about a grape or two) of insects each night. Others feed on feed on fruit, nectar, or pollen. 🦇 Bats are not blind. They have small eyes with very sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black. 🦇Bats are important pollinators. More than 300 species of fruits and plants rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal. Bats are significant pollinators to cacao, the key ingredient in chocolate. 🦇Not all bats hibernate. In winter, bats either hibernate or migrate to warmer areas. One hoary bat GPS tagged by USGS scientists traveled from Marin County, California to southwest Idaho! 🦇 Bats make up one-fifth of all mammalian species worldwide and are found on every continent except Antarctica. 📷1: ‘ōpe‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bat) - The only land mammal native to the Hawaiian archipelago that still exists today. They prefer coastal lowlands during breeding season (May to October) and move to interior highlands in winter. They feed on insects and roost in trees. Credit: USGS 📷2: Spotted Bat – One of the few bat species whose echolocation frequency is low enough for humans to hear. Little is known about this species, but it is believed to roost in high cliff crevices and feed primarily on moths. Credit: USGS 📷3: Cave myotis - Found throughout the southwestern U.S., they feed on insects and form nursery colonies, usually numbering in the thousands, in caves, mines, barns, buildings, and sometimes under bridges. Credit: J Scott Altenbach, NABat 📷4: Indiana Bat - This small, insectivorous, migratory bat requires forests for foraging and roosting. They are found in forested areas in the eastern U.S. and hibernate in colonies in caves and mines in the winter. Credit: Dane Smith, NABat #BatWeek

Something strange is haunting the coast. Along the edges of rivers, marshes, and bays, stands of tall, gray, leafless trees rise from the water like skeletons. These are ghost forests, and they are as real as they are eerie. Ghost forests form when saltwater reaches land once sustained by freshwater. As sea levels rise, saltwater moves farther inland, sometimes carried by storm surges and high tides. The trees slowly die, but their bleached trunks remain, while salt-tolerant marsh grasses quietly take over the ground beneath them. These transitions are happening up and down the Atlantic coast. USGS scientists are studying them in several areas, including ongoing research on the Delmarva Peninsula in the Chesapeake Bay region. This region consists of several low sloped landscapes, which allows for rapid change to occur. Here is where it gets even more mysterious. Scientists drilled into the trees themselves to see what lurks inside. Living trees naturally take in and release gases, but little is known about how that changes once a coastal forest dies. A recent study, led by Hollins University with USGS as a coauthor, found that standing dead trees in ghost forests host microbes that convert methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into carbon dioxide, which is less potent. It is one more piece of the puzzle as officials weigh the trade-offs of managing these landscapes. These ghostly trees may look lifeless, but they still have secrets to share. 📹: This ghost forest in Goose Creek State Park, North Carolina is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water. Credit: USGS. #SpookyScience #GhostForest #ecology

Summoning the ghost of topographic maps past. 👻 From Death Valley to Pumpkin Hill, and every creepy, spooky, bone-chilling hollow, haunt, and graveyard in between, the USGS has been mapping the country since it was founded in 1879. Every bend in a river tells a tale, every contour line has lore. Over the years, our methods for conjuring up topographic maps have changed, but the spells they cast remain just as potent today as back then. We can’t guarantee these places aren’t haunted. 🎃 Explore these maps from the archives, if you dare - 🗺️1: Death Valley National Monument, California as shown on Death Valley topographic map, 1956. 🗺️2: Tombstone, Arizona as shown on Benson topographic map, 1943. 🗺️3: Pumpkin Hill, Virginia as shown on Stony Man topographic map, 1933. 🗺️4: Devils Elbow, Missouri as shown on Devils Elbow topographic map, 2004. #SpookyScience

RT @Interior: World-class science. Extraordinary energy potential. @USGS estimates 96 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas on Alaska’s North Slope. Interior science is helping reveal the resources that could power America’s future.

A creature is creeping through the Northeast, and it doesn't need a full moon to spread fear. Meet the spotted lanternfly: a beautiful but invasive planthopper that's been haunting vineyards, forests, and backyards since it was first detected in New York City back in 2020. It doesn't howl or lurk in shadows, but its sneaky egg masses (disguised as harmless patches of dried clay) make it nearly impossible to spot until the damage is already done. So how do you catch an invader this stealthy? Science, and a few very good dogs. Researchers from the New York Invasive Species Research Institute, Cornell University, and the USGS New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit have teamed up with elite conservation dogs from the NY-NJ Trail Conference and Working Dogs for Conservation to sniff out egg masses that humans often miss. It's the first study to directly compare canine and human detection for this pest, and the results could help map where spotted lanternflies lurk and how to stop them before they spread further. The mission isn't just about one bug. Protecting agriculture, forests, and local communities from this creeping menace could also help guard against the next invasive species yet to come out of hiding. 📷1: Left side of an invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). 📷2: Canine scent detection dog sniffs out invasive spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in New Jersey. Credit: USGS #SpookyScience #lanternfly #InvasiveSpecies

A phone is more than just technology. It’s minerals, too. Minerals are essential to the devices we use, the infrastructure we depend on and industries across the country. Getting those materials from the ground to the products we use, however, involves complex global supply chains. USGS scientists track mineral production, demand and trade around the world. Where minerals come from, how concentrated their supply is and how easily supplies could be disrupted all help reveal potential risks to U.S. industries and the economy. Each year, the USGS publishes Mineral Commodity Summaries, which brings together data on more than 90 mineral commodities across 180 countries. The report covers U.S. production, imports, exports, consumption and recycling, as well as global production, reserves, prices and market trends. These data also help inform the Nation’s List of Critical Minerals, which identifies minerals essential to economic and national security that are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. The 2025 list includes 60 mineral commodities. The next time you pick up your phone, remember that the minerals inside it are part of a global supply chain. USGS science helps decision makers understand these connections and prepare for potential disruptions. 📸 1: Bastnaesite is a source of rare-earth elements used to produce magnets in speakers, microphones, and vibration motors. 📸 2: Chalcopyrite is a source of copper, the most abundant metal in a mobile device. Copper conducts electricity and heat, making it essential to electronics. 📸 3: Sphalerite is a source of indium and germanium. Indium is used in conductive coatings on smartphone screens, while germanium is used in displays and LEDs. Credit: USGS

What lies beneath Crater Lake’s deep blue waters? The caldera of an ancient volcano! This USGS geologic map reveals clues to Mount Mazama’s dramatic volcanic past, including the geology of the lake floor. Mount Mazama began erupting about 420,000 years ago, building a massive volcano through repeated episodes of volcanic activity. About 7,700 years ago, a series of explosive eruptions caused its summit to collapse, forming the caldera that Crater Lake fills today. At 1,949 feet (594 meters) deep, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. By mapping volcanic rocks, lava flows and eruption deposits across the landscape and on the lake floor, USGS scientists can reconstruct past eruptions, investigate how magma moved through Earth’s crust and better understand how large volcanic systems grow and evolve. This research also helps scientists evaluate volcanic hazards in the region. As we near the end of Earth Science Week, celebrate Geologic Map Day by exploring the USGS National Geologic Map Database, where you can find this map of Crater Lake and thousands of other geologic maps: 📸1: Portion of the Geologic Map of Mount Mazama and Crater Lake Caldera, Oregon. 📸2: Crater Lake and the surrounding landscape on a bright, clear day in August 2020. Credit: USGS #EarthScienceWeek2026

Behind every wildlife refuge is a story of science. This National Wildlife Refuge Week, we’re celebrating how USGS science helps our U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners understand the needs of wildlife and the habitats they depend on. 📷 1: National Elk Refuge, Wyoming: USGS scientists evaluate how feeding strategies affect elk and bison gathering in groups, where diseases such as chronic wasting disease can spread. This research helps inform feeding decisions for approximately 8,000 elk and 500 bison that winter on the refuge and supports the long-term health of elk populations in the Greater Yellowstone region. 📷 2: Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska: Eelgrass meadows provide habitat for birds, fish and other marine life, as well as food that fuels black brant migrations. USGS tracks eelgrass abundance and distribution to help managers understand changes in this important habitat. 📷 3: Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana: USGS researchers are capturing, marking, and recapturing treefrogs to build a baseline understanding of their population. Since the refuge sits close to the Gulf, this data will help scientists understand how hurricanes and other natural disasters affect amphibians over time. 📷 4: Guam National Wildlife Refuge: USGS leads efforts to control the invasive brown treesnake, a species responsible for the loss of most of Guam's native birds and millions of dollars in damage to power infrastructure each year. This work protects native wildlife and helps prevent the snake from spreading to new islands, including Hawaii. Credit: USGS @USFWS #NationalWildlifeRefugeWeek

RT @Readygov: Practice makes perfect. Are you participating in the #GreatShakeout? Remember, when the ground shakes: Drop, Cover and Hold On!

Coral reef or satellite image? 🪸🛰️ If you guessed satellite image, you’re right! This colorful view of the Lena River Delta in Russia is part of our Earth As Art collection, created using @NASA and @USGSLandsat satellite data. The Lena River, at 2,800 miles long, is one of the largest rivers in the world. The Lena Delta Reserve is the most extensive protected wilderness area in Russia and is an important refuge and breeding ground for many species of Siberian wildlife. For Earth Science Week, explore the full Earth As Art collection and discover more striking images that reveal our planet’s remarkable colors, textures and natural patterns from space 👉 #EarthScienceWeek2026

🐸 653 frogs. One big step for a species fighting its way back. This summer, USGS scientists and partners released 653 critically endangered southern mountain yellow-legged frogs into their native habitat in Southern California, the largest release of the species to date. These frogs are part of a larger effort to rebuild populations in the San Gabriel Mountains, where the species has faced threats from wildfire, drought, disease, non-native predators and habitat loss. The work starts long before a frog reaches the mountains. Scientists and zoo partners rear tadpoles and froglets in captivity, then release them into carefully selected habitat. USGS researchers study the frogs after release to learn how they survive, grow and reproduce in the wild. That information helps scientists understand what it takes to establish healthy, self-sustaining populations. With this summer's release, more than 1,000 mountain yellow-legged frogs have now been reared and released into the San Gabriel Mountains as part of this conservation effort. It takes scientists, zoos and federal and state partners working together to give this endangered species a chance to recover. 📷 1: Endangered mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa). 📷 2: A newly released mountain yellow-legged frog. 📷 3: USGS biologists and partners climbing to a release site in the San Gabriel Mountains. 📷 4: Frogs in their transport containers waiting to be released. Credit: USGS #frogs #amphibian #SanGabrielMountains

Going to bat for bats: A vaccine for white-nose syndrome 🦇 The USGS is playing a crucial role in the research and development of an oral vaccine for white-nose syndrome in bats. White-nose syndrome, which is caused by a fungus, has killed over seven million bats in North America. The unique vaccine development was spearheaded by research epidemiologist Dr. Tonie Rocke of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center. When Rocke first undertook the development of a vaccine for white-nose syndrome in 2015, few researchers had studied fungal vaccines. Now, a group of federal, state, and local scientists are inoculating bat colonies across the Western United States and studying the vaccine’s effectiveness. At English Camp in Washington State’s San Juan Island National Historical Park, scientists just vaccinated 450 bats, the largest such vaccination effort so far. Although white-nose syndrome was first discovered in Washington in 2016, it was only just found on San Juan Island. Scientists believe that for the bat colony to survive, it’s crucial to catch the outbreak early. The effort to inoculate bats against white-nose syndrome is not confined to English Camp. Scientists plan on vaccinating bat colonies in California, Montana, and another colony in Washington. They will continue to monitor the colony on San Juan Island and plan on vaccinating next year’s brood, hoping that this intervention will preserve the colony. Read the full story: 📸 1: A scientist holding a bat uses a pipette to administer a vaccine. Credit: Sophia Hammerle, NPS 📸 2: Mist nets set up to collect bats as they exit the colony at English Camp. Credit: Hazel Galloway, NPS #SpookyScience

RT @USGSVolcanoes: When you visit Yellowstone, it is common to detect something that smells like rotten eggs. The latest Yellowstone Volcano Observatory video update describes why this smell is a good thing in terms of volcano monitoring, and also shows videos from various geysers and hot springs, including a small hydrothermal explosion in Biscuit Basin on the night of September 27, 2026. @YellowstoneNPS

USGS Updates U.S. Critical Mineral Deposits - 1,271 known deposits across 41 states and Puerto Rico; one-third have no past production. Learn more 👉 📸: Map of mines and mineral deposits with identified critical mineral resources in the U.S.

RT @USGSLandsat: From liftoff in California to first light over the Himalayas. 🚀🏔️ On Sept. 27, 2021, Landsat 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, beginning a new chapter in the Landsat mission of recording Earth’s changing land surfaces. Landsat 9’s sensors brought advanced technology to detect more subtle differences, especially over water and dense forests, and more accurate surface temperature measurements. Together, Landsat 9 and Landsat 8 provide complete global land coverage every eight days. That repeat coverage is what turns a single image into a story of change. On Oct. 31, 2021, its first day of data collection, Landsat 9 captured this sweeping view of the Himalayas. Five years and over 26,000 orbits later, the USGS-NASA mission continues to add about 750 new observations per day to a Landsat record more than half a century in the making. Over 1.3 million Landsat 9 products are available to download from the USGS data access portals. Happy fifth launch anniversary, Landsat 9! 🎉 🔗 Explore more of the Landsat 9 mission: 📸1: Landsat 9 launches aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sept. 27, 2021. Credit: NASA 📸2: Landsat 9 image showing Kathmandu, Nepal, (lower left) and the snow-covered Himalayas, glaciers, and glacial lakes across Nepal and China. Acquired Oct. 31, 2021. Credit: USGS #Landsat9 #EarthObservation #LandsatLegacy

RT @USGS_Water: It's World Water Monitoring Day. Celebrate by staying prepared! 🌍💧 World Water Monitoring Day is all about understanding and protecting our most vital resource. For USGS hydrotechs, that mission happens 365 days a year. Our dedicated teams are on the front lines, deploying sensors, measuring streamflow, and tracking water quality to keep communities safe. Monitoring our waterways isn't just for scientists, though. It's your best tool for emergency preparedness. Here’s how to stay prepared: 💧 Explore the National Water Dashboard: Check real-time streamflow, groundwater levels, and weather alerts on an interactive map. 💧 Subscribe to WaterAlert: Set up text or email alerts for rivers and creeks near you to get updates if water rises. 💧 Check water quality: Monitor local waterways to see how your watershed is doing. Knowledge is your best defense. This World Water Monitoring Day, be prepared. Track your local waterways, know your risk, and always follow local safety guidance. Explore USGS water monitoring tools - 📷 1: USGS hydrologic technician reads measurements from a streamgage while sitting on a partially submerged park table in Zephyrhills, Florida in 2024 just days after Tropical Storm Debby struck Florida's Gulf Coast. Credit: Todd Dunkle, USGS. 📷 2: USGS hydrographer measuring streamflow using a handheld Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter in fast moving floodwater Cajon Creek near Keenbrook, California. Credit: USGS. 📷 3: USGS hydrologic technician takes a high flow measurement on Chartiers Creek in Carnegie, PA during flooding from remnants of Hurricane Ida.  📷 4: A USGS crew measures high flow during flooding on the Maple River near Mapleton, North Dakota. The instrument being pulled across the water is an acoustic Doppler current profiler, which is used to measure streamflow. Credit: USGS. #StayPrepared #NationalPreparednessMonth #WorldWaterMonitoringDay

RT @USGSVolcanoes: Kīlauea Update 🌋 

New vents that opened in Halemaʻumaʻu at Kīlauea’s summit on September 14-15 continued to erupt lava flows today, September 16. This activity is occurring within the summit caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. 
 
The vents are on or near the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, just north of the existing vent complex that has been erupting lava fountains episodically since December 2024. Here’s a summary of observations from the USGS monitoring overflight this morning: 
 
🔸 Lava continued to erupt from at least one of the five new vents, feeding lava flows on the crater floor
🔸 Spattering at the north vent continues to add to the cone that surrounds it, which is about 30-feet-high, with a 12-foot-wide opening 
🔸 Spatter was also visible in the south and west vents
 
For more than a week, small lava flows and spatter bursts have continued—the longest stretch of low-level activity in this eruption since it began in December 2024.
 
Ground deformation patterns and earthquake activity indicate that the summit region of Kīlauea remains pressurized. This low-level eruptive activity could continue or additional changes could occur. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists continue to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue additional notices as needed. All current activity is confined to the summit region of Kīlauea within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.  
 
📹: Video compilation shows eruptive activity during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring flight the morning of September 16, 2026. 
 
#Kilauea #Eruption #Lava

Preparedness starts with good information. Before, during and after natural hazards, emergency managers need reliable information to understand what’s happening and make informed decisions. USGS scientists collect, monitor, and analyze data on hazards such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, and volcanoes. We provide that science and data to emergency managers and other partners to help them prepare for and respond to hazards and their potential impacts on communities. 📷 1: Following the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence in California, USGS scientists worked with partners to document fault ruptures at the Earth’s surface. Here, USGS research geologist Belle Philibosian measures a fault offset in the Ridgecrest area. Credit: Katherine Kendrick, USGS 📷 2: In June 2023, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists monitored the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption from an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park closed to the public for safety. Credit: USGS 📷 3: In October 2017, USGS scientists used a drone to capture photos and video of the Mud Creek landslide along California’s Big Sur coast. Credit: Shawn Harrison, USGS 📷 4: On October 7, 2024, USGS hydrologic technician Julie Hobbs installed a wave sensor near Venice, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton’s projected landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Credit: Sean Townsend, USGS #NationalPreparednessMonth