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

CASCADES VOLCANO OBSERVATORY WEEKLY UPDATE issued Jul 3, 2009 03:14 PDT Volcano Alert Level NORMAL - Aviation Color Code GREEN
Activity Update: All volcanoes in the Cascade Range are at normal levels of background seismicity. These include Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams in Washington State; Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Three Sisters, Newberry Volcano, and Crater Lake, in Oregon; and Medicine Lake volcano, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Peak in northern California. Mount St. Helens has been at Volcano Alert Level NORMAL (Aviation Color Code GREEN) since July 10, 2008. Recent Observations: Monitoring systems show that activity at Cascade Range volcanoes during the past week ...
Redoubt Weekly Update issued Jul 3, 2009 13:06 ADT Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY - Aviation Color Code YELLOW
Continued low seismicity, reduced gas emissions, and lack of observable growth in the lava dome suggest that the 2009 eruption of Redoubt may be drawing to a close. Due to this consistent trend in the data, AVO lowered Redoubt's Aviation Color Code from Orange to Yellow, and the Alert Level from Watch to Advisory on Tuesday, June 30. The 1 km-long lava dome at the summit, however, remains potentially unstable. Collapse of the lava dome would likely result in high-level ash production, hot lava block and ash flows, and possible flooding in the Drift River valley. Web camera views, when ...
Cleveland Weekly Update issued Jul 3, 2009 13:06 ADT Volcano Alert Level ADVISORY - Aviation Color Code YELLOW
AVO has received no reports of activity at Cleveland since the small eruption on June 25. Recent satellite and web camera views of the volcano have been obscured by clouds.
Kilauea Daily Update issued Jul 3, 2009 08:29 HST Volcano Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Lava has reappeared in the vent at Kilauea's summit after being buried by rubble from collapses on Tuesday. Lava from east rift zone vents continues to flow through tubes to the coast and is entering the ocean at two locations west of Kalapana. Active lava flows are present on the pali in, and adjacent to, the Royal Gardens subdivision. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and Pu`u `O`o vents remain elevated. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: After being buried by rubble from a series of vent collapses on Tuesday, June 30, ...