USGS Education Home / Videos and Animations / Online Lectures / Podcasts
USGS Educational Videos and Animations
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Most USGS videos and animations created since January, 2009 are posted on the USGS Multimedia Gallery . Videos in that collection that contain narration or interviews include captioning.
The following database is a collection of USGS videos and animations created before 2009. Although by no means exhaustive, the list provides a broad representation of USGS research available through visual media. The USGS, as a U.S. Federal government agency, cannot copyright its products. With one exception, all the products in this database are considered public domain and may be viewed or reproduced free of charge.
Multi-Topic Collections
Details
Format : Windows Media
Length : Varies (avg. - 1 hour)
NEW! USGS Online Lectures A selection of USGS online lectures from all disciplines organized by topic. Includes lectures targeted to the general public as well as slightly more technical presentations on volcanoes, earthquakes, hydrology, climate change, and much more.
Overviews of USGS Science and USGS Careers
Details
Format : WMV, QuickTime
Length : 14 +
Size : 24 - 28 MB
USGS Careers
- Not Just Rocks
What can you do when you work for the USGS? This video is a general overview
of how USGS scientists do science. This video is targeted to student audiences.
Astrogeology
Biology
Details
Format : WMV, QuickTime
Length : various (avg. - 1 hour)
Size : various
Precipice
of Survival: The Southern Sea Otter Video
Documentary film made in 2004 that traces the history of California’s sea
otters from the onset of the Pacific maritime fur trade to the present. Focuses
on the broad collaborative research effort to better understand these
charismatic creatures.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 28 minutes
Sonoran
Desert: Fragile Land of Extremes
Documentary film made in 2003 showing how USGS biologists work with
other scientists in an effort to better understand native plants and
animals such as desert tortoises, saguaro cacti, and Gila monsters.
Much of the program was filmed in and around Saguaro National Park
near Tucson, Arizona.
Details
Format : Quicktime, Flash
Length : 7 minutes
Size : 10 MB
Status of Grizzly Bears in Northwest Montana Video footage of grizzly bears in the wild taken by a remote camera and combined with audio from an interview with the research biologist in charge of the grizzly bear study. Click here for more grizzly bear videos and information about the research project.
Details
Format : WMV, Flash
Length : 5+ minutes
Size : 5.6 MB
Wolf - Bear Interaction in Glacier National Park
Fascinating video footage of a grizzly bear with two cubs interacting with a lone wolf in Glacier National Park. Taken by remote, motion-triggered video camera.
Details
Format : Flash, WMV
Length : < 3 minutes
Size : varies
Remote Camera Wildlife in Montana
Video footage of black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, elk, a wolverine, and other wildlife at bear rubs, baited hair traps, and other locations in northwest montana. All films were taken by remote, motion-triggered cameras. Scroll down the page for video thumbnails.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Bird Identification
Extensive list of North American birds with identification information. Some include video or bird call. Those with video include the black vulture, snow goose, Canada goose, brant, wood duck, American black duck, and mallard.
Details
Format : Real
Length : various
Size : various
Wildlife
Short videos of animals in the wild, including mountain lions, long-tailed weasels,
and mountain beavers.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 2 minutes
Sea
Squirts Videos
Color videos of sea squirt (Didemnum) colonies in New England and New Zealand.
No audio.
Details
Format : Real
Length : < 3 minutes
Size : < .5 MB
Whooping
Cranes
Whooping crane videos from USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.
Assorted videos cover nesting, feeding, dancing, training with an ultralight,
and more. Listen to a whooping crane!
Details
Format : QuickTime, Flash
Length : 6 minutes
Size : 1 - 28 MB
Paddlefish
Project
Film providing a comprehensive overview of the Paddlefish Project.
Includes interviews with project scientists. Narrated throughout.
Details
Format : Real
Length : 6+ minutes
Size : 51 - 66 MB
Sea
Ducks
Includes information on tracking sea ducks using satellite telemetry,
the food habits of sea ducks, and the formation of a captive sea duck
colony at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Comes in three
chapters. Narrated throughout.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 3+ minutes
Envirovet
Networking Webumentary
Brief film featuring Leslie Dierauf, director of the USGS National Wildlife
Health Center, as she talks about wildlife veterinary medicine, the
work performed at the Center, and why it's important. This is not a
USGS-produced film.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 300 K
Seasonal
Distribution of Bats
Animation showing the seasonal distribution of hoary bats, silver-haired bats,
and red bats in the conterminous U.S.
Details
Format : GIF
Length : continuous
Walrus-tagging
Surveys
Animations for spring walrus tagging locations in Alaska, 2004-present.
Climate Change
Coastal and Marine Environments
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : 2+ minutes
Size : 2 - 17 MB
Sea-Floor
off Massachusetts Coast
Video of the sea floor in the South Essex Ocean Sanctuary of Massachusetts.
Details
Format : AVI
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 1 MB
Sea-Level
Rise
Time-lapse
animations showing maps of sea-level uprising at locations around the globe and the population numbers that could be impacted.
Details
Format : various
Length : various
Size : various
Woods
Hole Science Center Animations and Movies
Over a dozen animations and movies covering
bathymetry, Didemnum colonies, and divers collecting ocean-bottom
cores. Some have narration; others have sound but
no narration.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 25 MB
South
Moloka'i Reef Tract
Three brief underwater videos showing the coral reefs of the island of Moloka’i
in Hawaii. No audio.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 16 - 25 MB
Fly-By
Movies from Selected Seafloor Studies
Animated fly-by movies of the bathymetry at Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, West Florida, and the Los Angeles margin. Click on "Movie" for each location.
Details
Format : AVI
Length : 3 minutes
Size : 54 MB
Louisiana
Coastal Land Loss
Narrated animations of past and predicted wetland loss from 1932 to 2050 on the
Louisiana coast.
Details
Format : MPG
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 11 - 17 MB
Hidden Sand Dunes in San Francisco Bay
Fly-by animations of the sea floor near the mouth of San Francisco Bay showing giant sand waves and other bed forms.
Earthquakes
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 1 hour
Size : 100 MB
USGS
Earthquake Hazards Team Seminar Series
Archive (2000-present) of lectures given at the USGS offices in Menlo
Park, California on a variety of earthquake-related topics. Most of these
lectures are designed for a technical, scientific audience. Click on
blue video icon at the right side of the page.
Details
Format : Flash
Length : 46 minutes
Shock Waves: One Hundred Years after the 1906 Earthquke
This 2006 USGS film (nominated for an Emmy award) shows the century of progress
that science and engineering have made since the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
Includes dramatic historical footage, reenactments, colorful animations, and interviews
with earthquake experts.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 22 minutes
When
the Bay Area Quakes
Film made in 1990 documenting the science and social implications of the 1989 Loma
Prieta earthquake that created heavy damage throughout the San Francisco
Bay Area of California.
Details
Format : MPG or WMV
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 3.8 (low-res), 15 MB (hi-res)
Parkfield
Earthquake Video
Video of magnitude 6.2 earthquake at Parkfield, California, on September 28,
2004.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : 1+ minute
Size : 3.8 (low-res), 15 MB (hi-res)
1906 San Francisco Earthquake Ground Motion Simulations
Earthquake models that recreate ground motion during the
1906 San Francisco earthquake (M7.8) and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
(M6.9). Files are available in low resolution (3.7 megabytes) or high
resolution (15 megabytes).
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : 1+ minute
Size : 4 MB (low-res), 10 MB (hi-res), 30 MB (hi-def)
Hayward Fault Ground Motion Simulations Computer simulations of ground motion during large, anticipated earthquakes on the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults on the east side of San Francisco Bay. Files are available in low, high, and high definition resolutions.
Details
Format : GIF
Length : various
Size : various
Recent
earthquake maps
Seven-day animations of recent earthquake maps from the USGS Web site.
Covers World, USA, California/Nevada, and the Intermountain West.
Details
Format : GIF, AVI
Length : various
Size : various
High-Quality
Earthquake Animations
Animations showing the output from simulations of earthquake ruptures along various
types of faults.
Details
Format : GIF
Length : 1 minute
Alaskan
Earthquake Seismic Waves
Animation of global seismic waves generated by the M7.9 earthquake in
central Alaska in 2002. Reload page to restart animation.
Geology
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 1 hour
The
Living Rock: the Earth's Continental Crust
This beautiful film is a global tour of geologic processes narrated by many USGS scientists. In addition to the imagery, the movie includes advanced computer-generated animations.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 25 minutes
The
Southern Appalachians: A Changing World
Film created for educational purposes, describing the
Southern Appalachian Mountains and how the geologic events that took
place millions of years ago influenced the landscape, climate, soils,
and living things that can be seen there today. A teacher's guide can
be downloaded at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/so_app/.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 30 minutes
The
Future of Energy Gases
Film explains the different types
of energy sources our nation has used over its history. Includes the
technology, economics, and effects on the environment associated with
each source. Also addresses solar, wind, and nuclear power; and
gas hydrates. A fine primer appropriate for all ages.
Details
Format : Flash
Length : 7 minutes
Gas Hydrate Laboratory
Video of the USGS Gas Hydrate Laboratory in Menlo Park, California. Scientists briefly explain how they use the laboratory to
study gas hydrate and the importance of their work. Includes footage of frozen gas hydrate burning and dissociating into
water plus gas. Gas hydrate occurs naturally in ocean sediments.
Details
Format : Flash
Length : 7 minutes
Experimental Rock-Water Interaction
Laboratory
Video of the USGS Experimental Rock-Water Interaction Laboratory in Menlo Park, California. Scientists demonstrate how they
use the laboratory to study reactions between rocks and fluids. The results help model oceanic processes and the sub-surface
storage of excess carbon dioxide (CO2).
Details
Format : MPG
Length : various
Geology
of Hydrocarbons
Over two dozen animations originally created for USGS videos.
Details
Format : MPG
Length : various
Miscellaneous
Animations
A list of miscellaneous animations that were created for USGS videos.
Includes rotating globe showing visible night-time lights, an illustration
of the greenhouse effect, and the creation of an oil deposit.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 3+ minutes
Size : 20 MB
Antarctic 2007
3D fly-through of McMurdo Station
This animation flies over Cape Roberts, onto the Ross Ice Shelf, and across Ross Island where McMurdo Station is located. For more information go to http://lima.usgs.gov/browse.php.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 3+ minutes
Size : 20 MB
Antarctic 3D
fly-through of the Dry Valley Area
This animation starts above the Washington Monument then moves to Antarctica where it zooms in on Wright and Taylor Dry Valleys and Ross Island. For more information go to http://lima.usgs.gov/browse.php.
Geomagnetism
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 25 - 65 minutes
Secrets
in Stone
Film chronicling the scientific discoveries in the early 1960s that
led to acceptance of the plate tectonics theory. Produced in 1996, this
film traces the history of the hypothesis of continental drift, its early
dismissal by experts, and the rise in acceptance after geomagnetic polarity
reversals were shown to match magnetic anomalies on the sea floor. The
film is shown as part of a public lecture at the USGS. The entire lecture
is 65 minutes (short intro, then film, then long question/answer). The
film itself is 25 minutes.
Details
Format : Flash, GIF
Length : < 1 minute
Size : various
Magnetic
Field Changes Over Time
Animations showing global change in declination, inclination, and other
magnetic characteristics from 1590 to 1990.
Landslides and Debris Flows
Details
Format : MP4
Length : 1 hour
Size : 482 MB
Riding the Storm: Landslide Danger in the San Francisco Bay Area
Film produced in 2006 about landslide science and landslide hazards in the San Francisco Bay Area. Focus is on a catastrophic 1982 rainstorm that triggered 18,000 landslides. An 11-minute "trailer" of the film in AVI or MP4 format is also available.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 22 minutes
Debris Flow Dynamics
Although made in 1984, this is still the most popular film at the USGS Training Center. It covers the basic characteristics and behavior of a debris flow and includes a great deal of footage from many different locations.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 1.1 MB
La
Conchita Landslide
Video of the La Conchita, California, slope failure of 2005.
NOTE: This video is copyrighted. It can be shown in the classroom
if you are connected directly to the Internet, but it cannot be downloaded or
copied without permission.
Details
Format : Flash
Length : 2+ minutes
Debris Flow in Devore, California
Video of a dramatic 2003 debris flow near San Bernardino in southern California. This video was made by a private citizen who made it freely available to the USGS for public use. Scroll down the page to view.
Details
Format : GIF, MPG
Length : < 1 minute
Size : various
Fly-Bys
and Animations of Landslides
Fly-bys and computer simulations of landslides in the San Francisco Bay area
and the Sierra Nevada.
Plate Tectonics
Details
Format : GIF, MPG
Length : various
Size : various
Plate
Tectonics
Short, looping animations that illustrate various concepts of tectonic plate
movement.
Details
Format : AVI, QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 51 - 55 MB
Juan
de Fuca Slab
Animation showing the Juan de Fuca slab and related earthquakes
beneath southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and northern California
(click on "4 DATA folder").
Tsunamis
Details
Format : QuickTime, GIF
Length : < 1 minute
Size : various
Tsunami Animations
Animations from the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, and the
Papua, New Guinea, tsunami of 1998. Also, hypothetical animations of
tsunamis along Pacific Northwest coast.
Urban Growth & Land Use
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 6 seconds
Urban
Growth
Animations for urban growth in the Baltimore-Washington area (1792-1992)
and the San Francisco Bay area (1800-1900).
Volcanoes
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 1 hour
USGS
Volcano Hazards Team Seminar Series
Archive (2006 to present) of lectures given at the USGS offices in Menlo
Park, California, on a variety of volcano-related topics. These lectures
are designed for a technical, scientific audience. Videos are currently
available only for a few seminars in 2006.
Details
Format : QuickTime, FLV, YouTube
Length : 8 minutes
Size : 20-29 MB
Yes! Yellowstone is a Volcano The USGS Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory answers the questions: "How do we know Yellowstone is a volcano?", "What is a Supervolcano?", "What is a Caldera?","Why are there geysers at Yellowstone?", and "What are the other geologic hazards in Yellowstone?" (open captions)
Details
Format : QuickTime, FLV, YouTube
Length : 8 minutes
Size : 20-28 MB
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory The USGS Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory answers the questions: "What is YVO?", "How do you monitor volcanic activity at Yellowstone?", "How are satellites used to study deformation?", "Do you monitor geysers or any other aspect of the Park?", "Are earthquakes and ground deformation common at Yellowstone?", and "Where can I get more information?" (open captions)
Details
Format : QuickTime, FLV, YouTube
Length : 7 minutes
Size : 19-26 MB
Yellowstone Eruptions The USGS Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory answers the questions: When was the last supereruption at Yellowstone?", "Have any eruptions occurred since the last supereruption?", "Is Yellowstone overdue for an eruption?", "What does the magma below indicate about a possible eruption?", "What else is possible?", and "Why didn't you think the Yellowstone Lake earthquake swarm would lead to an eruption?" (open captions)
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 28 minutes
The Eruption of Kilauea 1959-1960
Beautifully restored award-winning USGS film documenting the eruption of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii in 1959 and 1960. Includes spectacular footage of the highest lava fountains ever recorded and of the formation of Kilauea Iki lava lake. Narrated throughout.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 66 minutes
Early
Hawaiian Volcano Footage
Films of Mauna Loa volcano and Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting in
the 1930s and 1940s. Includes the second black and white film ever produced
of an erupting volcano and the earliest color film of an erupting volcano.
Comes in five "chapters." Significant footage of flowing
lava.
Details
Format : WMV, AVI, GIF
Length : < 1 minute
Size : various
Mount
St. Helens
A list of movies and animations created from photography at Mount St. Helens
in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Details
Format : MP4
Length : 13+ minutes
Size : 134MB - 561MB
Mount St. Helens 2004-2006, Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth
Each mp4 is a compilation of "chapters" of various lengths showing films of Mount St. Helens taken from a helicopter; films taken from inside the crater; films of equipment installation, maintenance, and removal; and more. Some films have companion 49MB "trailers" that are 5 minutes long.
Steam and Ash Emissions and Dome Growth, October 1, 5, 11, and 27, 2004
Dome and Surrounding Area of Deformation, November 20, 2004
Instumentation and Continuing Dome Growth II, November 20, 29, and December 16, 2004
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth IV, January 25, 2005
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth V, February 1 - March 15, 2005
Eruption of Mount St. Helens, September 2004 - May 2005
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth VI, April 6 - July 27, 2005
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth VII, October 1, 2004 - September 14, 2005
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth VIII, September 21 - February 16, 2006
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth IX
Instrumentation and Continuing Dome Growth X, September 28, 2006
Details
Format : MP4
Length : 28 minutes
Size : 20 - 298 MB
Taming of a Wild Research Well in Yellowstone National Park during November 1992
In 1992, valve failure caused an uncontrolled eruption of steam and hot water in a USGS research well just 2 miles north of Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. This video shows how a drilling contractor plugged the well and includes a short news story by CNN. A 9-minute trailer is also available.
Details
Format : GIF
Length : continuous
Dynamic
Map of United States Volcanoes
Dynamic map of volcanoes in the United States that includes animated
fly-bys of the volcanoes in the lower 48 states and Hawaii.
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Volcano Eruption
Black and white animation of an explosive volcanic eruption.
Water
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 1 hour
USGS
Water Resources Seminar Series
Archive (2003 to present) of lectures given at the USGS offices in Menlo
Park, California, on a variety of water-related topics. Most of these
lectures are designed for a technical, scientific audience.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 1 hour
Delta
Revival: Restoring a California Ecosystem
Award-winning 2003 film showing scientists from many disciplines working
together to guide the unprecedented restoration of the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta east of San Francisco Bay. View the movie as part of a
filmed public lecture: introduction, then 22 minute movie, montage
of scientists at work, followed by question and answer session.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 30 minutes
1923
Grand Canyon Expedition
A silent film compiled from footage shot during the 1923 USGS expedition
down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. This is the earliest
USGS film and one of the first black and white films distributed nationally.
For more on the expedition, visit http://online.wr.usgs.gov/outreach/grandcanyon/index.html
Details
Format : Quicktime, Flash
Length : 8 minutes
Size : 18-81 MB
Glen Canyon Dam High Flow Experiment USGS experts give preliminary observations on what took place during the high flow experiment on the Colorado River in March, 2008. Includes links to time-lapse videos.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : < 1 minute
Size : 13 MB
2008 Flood in Arkansas Video footage, from a cell phone and video camera, of a house colliding with a bridge during March 2008 flooding on the White River in Calico Rock, Arkansas off of Highway 5 (3/19/2008, 4PM).
Details
Format : QuickTime
Length : < 1 minute
Core
Sampling in the Everglades
Video clip showing a USGS scientist collecting sediment cores in the Everglades. No audio.
Details
Format : QuickTime, AVI
Length : < 1 minute
North
Carolina Water Sampling Activities
Numerous 10 to 30 second video clips showing scientists at work sampling
in the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin in North Carolina and Virginia.
Water-quality sampling, macroinvertebrate sampling, and more. Includes
audio but no narration. Use the links at the bottom of the page for additional
videos.
Details
Format : GIF
Length : < 1 minute
Water
Use Trends in the United States, 1950-1990
Three separate animations of water use (surface water and ground water)
in the conterminous U.S. for irrigation, public supplies, and total withdrawal.
Scroll down to purple maps.
Wind/Hurricanes
Details
Format : MPG
Length : 28 minute
Hurricane
Force: A Coastal Perspective
1994 film following USGS scientists studying hurricane-impacted coasts
while connecting the environmental and economic consequences of these storms.
Relates how hurricanes form and progress and includes a detailed account
of the impacts of Hurricanes Andrew (Louisiana, 1992), Hugo (Puerto Rico,
1989), and Iniki (Kauai, Hawaii, 1992). Downloads in 12 segments. Average
length: 3 minutes; average size: 25 megabytes.
Details
Format : WMV
Length : 15 minutes
Exploring
Storm Surge
Preparedness movie made in 1995 about the dangers of storm surges that are associated with
hurricanes.
Details
Format : HTML
Length : continuous
San
Francisco Bay Wind Patterns
A dynamic and real-time rendering of particle streaklines. The animation
describes the flow of the wind at a given time.