Volcano Science Center
Find U.S. Volcano
The Volcano Science Center is the primary center serving the mission of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program — to enhance public safety and minimize social and economic disruption from volcanic unrest and eruption. The center is home to the five US volcano observatories with offices in Anchorage, Alaska; Menlo Park and Mountain View, California; Vancouver, Washington; and Hilo, Hawaii.
News
The lasting contributions of Yellowstone National Park naturalist George Marler
The lasting contributions of Yellowstone National Park naturalist George Marler
New study reveals insights into Yellowstone Volcanic System’s Hidden Magma Reservoirs
New study reveals insights into Yellowstone Volcanic System’s Hidden Magma Reservoirs
An Electromagnetic View of How Magma is Stored beneath Yellowstone
An Electromagnetic View of How Magma is Stored beneath Yellowstone
Publications
Physicochemical properties and bioreactivity of sub-10 µm geogenic particles: Comparison of volcanic ash and desert dust
Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of
The progression of basaltic–rhyolitic melt storage at Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera is one of the largest volcanic systems on Earth, hosting three major caldera-forming eruptions in the past two million years, interspersed with periods of less explosive, smaller-volume eruptions1. Caldera-forming eruptions at Yellowstone are sourced by rhyolitic melts stored within the mid- to upper crust. Seismic tomography studies have suggested that a broad region...
High-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of Quaternary basalts from Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, with implications for eruption rates and paleomagnetic correlations
The Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF), which last erupted ca. 550 years ago, is a late Quaternary monogenetic basaltic volcanic field (ca. 500 km2) in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Prior to this study only 12 out of the 53 identified eruptive centres of the AVF had been reliably dated. Careful sample preparation and 40Ar/39Ar analysis has increased the number of well-dated...
Science
How are lava flows mapped in Hawaii?
Lava flow mapping provides situational awareness of volcanic eruptive hazards in Hawaii. During eruptions, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists employ a variety of techniques to collect and disseminate map data depicting key eruptive features, especially lava flows.
Mining and mineralization of the Clear Lake region
The Geysers-Clear Lake area has been one of the most productive in the United States for mercury, and gold was mined in the late 1800s. Many of the deposits are directly associated with outcrops of early Clear Lake volcanic rocks.
Geology and History of Black Rock Desert Volcanic Field
Black Rock Desert volcanic field is the northernmost volcanic field in a belt of young volcanic fields beginning in the northern Grand Canyon of Arizona and continuing in a north-trending line through Utah. Part of the eastern Basin and Range Province, the Black Rock Desert volcanic field covers nearly 7,000 km2 (2,700 mi) and is 145 km (90 mi) long.