Natural Hazards - Volcanoes

When the violent energy of a volcano is unleashed, the results can be catastrophic. The risks to life, property, and infrastructure are escalating as more and more people live, work, play, and travel in volcanic regions.

To help keep communities safe, it is essential to monitor hazardous volcanoes so that the public knows when unrest begins and what hazards can be expected.

The USGS has greatly advanced its ability to evaluate volcanic risks and hazards through research and monitoring programs. USGS realtime volcano-monitoring tools collect and transfer large amounts of data from remote volcanoes for analysis and interpretation.

USGS's analyses and interpretations help the public, policymakers, and emergency managers make informed decisions on how to prepare for and react to volcano hazards and reduce losses from future volcanic eruptions and debris flows.

Recent Volcano Observatory Activity Reports

Kilauea Daily Update issued Nov 7, 2009 07:55 HST Volcano Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
Activity Summary for past 24 hours: The second DI event in as many days is nearing completion. Spatter has nearly closed the hole in the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent cavity floor allowing only indirect views of the glow from a lava pond surface below. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and east rift zone vents remain elevated. Lava flows are active on the coastal plain. Lava is also flowing through tubes to the coast and entering the ocean at two locations west of Kalapana. DI events often affect surface flow activity on the flow field. Typically, surface flow ...
Long Valley Volcanic Center Daily Update issued Nov 7, 2009 09:23 PST Volcano Alert Level NORMAL - Aviation Color Code GREEN
The real-time computer system located eight small earthquakes in the vicinity of Long Valley caldera since the last update at 9:12 AM (PST) on November 6. Two were located beneath Mammoth Mountain: a M=0.3 earthquake at 9:48 AM on the 6th and a M=1.2 earthquake at 12:06 AM on the 7th. Six were located in a cluster beneath the Sierra Nevada south of the caldera 0.5 mile east of Grinnell Lake (11 miles SW of Tom's Place) beginning with magnitude M=2.4 and 2.2 earthquakes at 10:56 and 10:58 AM on the 6th. The last in this cluster was a M=1.3 event at 10:11 PM on the 6th. Elsewhere, a M=1.3 ...
Anatahan Weekly Update issued Nov 6, 2009 12:31 ADT Volcano Alert Level NORMAL - Aviation Color Code GREEN
Report prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey. No reports of eruptive activity at Anatahan were received the past week, and seismic levels have remained low. Nothing unusual was observed in satellite images throughout the week.
Kilauea Daily Update issued Nov 6, 2009 08:10 HST Volcano Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
Activity Summary for past 24 hours: A DI event is nearing completion. Growth and partial collapse of the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent cavity floor continued to alternately obscure and reveal the circulating lava pond surface. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and east rift zone vents remain elevated. Lava flows are active on the coastal plain. Lava is also flowing through tubes to the coast and entering the ocean at two locations west of Kalapana. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: The Overlook vent webcam images again showed fluctuating glow and spattering ...