News

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck south-central China near Dali on May 21, 2021 at 9:48 pm local time (May 21 at 13:48 UTC) followed by a magnitude 7.3 on May 22 at 2:04 am local time (May 21 at 18:04 UTC). Seismic instruments indicate both earthquakes originated at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers).

Thousands of participants are heading out to conduct the annual North American Breeding Bird Survey, a program initiated in 1966 to track the health of wild bird populations across the continent. This is an international effort, jointly coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey, Canadian Wildlife Service and Mexican National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity.

On April 26th, 2021,  Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland declared May 2 - 8, 2021 as Amphibian Week in recognition of the vital importance of amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders) to the nation’s public and private lands.

Happy Earth Day! As we celebrate our wonderful planet and the fascinating things we learn about it every year, we wanted to share a unique view of the Earth, provided by the longest continuously running Earth-observing satellite program: Landsat.

USGS Landsat satellite data and imagery are the key foundation for the newly released Google Earth 3D Timelapse tool. The upgraded Timelapse presents a global, zoomable time-lapse video of the planet from 1984 to 2020.

A citizen’s report of an invasive zebra mussel found in an aquarium moss package found in a pet store prompted a U.S. Geological Survey expert on invasive aquatic species to trigger nationwide alerts that have led to the discovery of the destructive shellfish in pet stores in at least 21 states from Alaska to Florida.  

Three notable earthquakes struck in the southern Pacific Ocean near the Kermadec Islands and New Zealand today, March 4, 2021.

The excitement of the Perseverance rover landing on Mars can be witnessed on NASA TV starting at 11:15 PST on February 18, 2021.

Starting May 4, 2021, ShakeAlert®-powered earthquake early warning alerts will be available to more than 50 million people in California, Oregon and Washington, the most earthquake-prone region in the conterminous U.S.

The San Fernando earthquake struck Southern California 50 years ago, killing 64 people and costing over $500 million in damages. The quake prompted federal, state and local action to reduce earthquake risks and bolster public safety.

Scientists rely on seismometers and eyewitness accounts to identify an earthquake’s location, time and magnitude. A new study explores how the latter can be limited by socioeconomic factors, which can create biases in datasets that scientists use to characterize seismic hazards and coordinate emergency response.