A granite cliff at Thunder Hole, looking south to Otter Point, in Acadia National Park
Will extinct volcanoes on the east coast of the U.S. erupt again?
No. The geologic forces that generated volcanoes in the eastern United States millions of years ago no longer exist. Through plate tectonics, the eastern U.S. has been isolated from the global tectonic features (tectonic plate boundaries and hot spots in the mantle), that cause volcanic activity. So new volcanic activity is not possible now or in the near future. If you wait around several hundred million years, maybe...
Remnants of past volcanism are found in most areas of the Earth, even where volcanoes have not erupted in hundreds of millions of years. They are very common.
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What was the largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century?
The world's largest eruption of the 20th century occurred in 1912 at Novarupta on the Alaska Peninsula in what is now Katmai National Park and Preserve. An estimated 15 cubic kilometers of magma was explosively erupted during 60 hours beginning on June 6th. This volume is equivalent to 230 years of eruption at Kilauea (Hawaii) or about 30 times the volume erupted by Mount St. Helens (Washington)...
What is a hotspot and how do you know it's there?
Most volcanic eruptions occur near the boundaries of tectonic plates, but there are some exceptions. In the interior of some tectonic plates, magma has been erupting from a relatively fixed spot below the plate for millions of years. As the plate continuously moves across that spot, a trail of progressively older volcanic deposits is left at the surface. The Hawaiian Islands are a good example of...
Which volcanoes in the conterminous United States have erupted since the Nation was founded?
Excluding steam eruptions, these volcanoes have shown activity: Mount St. Helens, Washington - Eruptions and/or lava dome growth occurred in the late 1700s, 1800-1857, 1980-1986, and 2004-2008. Lassen Peak, California - A series of steam blasts began on May 30, 1914. An eruption occurred 12 months later on May 21, 1915. Minor activity continued through the middle of 1917. Mount Hood, Oregon -...
Where does the United States rank in the number of volcanoes?
The United States ranks third, behind Indonesia and Japan, in the number of historically active volcanoes (that is, those for which we have written accounts of eruptions). In addition, about 10 percent of the more than 1,500 volcanoes that have erupted in the past 10,000 years are located in the United States. Most of these volcanoes are found in the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, the...
What kind of school training do you need to become a volcanologist?
There are many paths to becoming a volcanologist. Most include a college or graduate school education in a scientific or technical field, but the range of specialties is very large. Training in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, biology, biochemistry, mathematics, statistics, engineering, atmospheric science, remote sensing, and related fields can be applied to the study of volcanoes and the...
What is the difference between "magma" and "lava"?
Scientists use the term magma for molten rock that is underground and lava for molten rock that breaks through the Earth's surface.
Granite Rocks at Thunder Hole
A granite cliff at Thunder Hole, looking south to Otter Point, in Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park Panorama
A panorama of Acadia National Park with Dorr and Cadillac Mountains on the right side, taken from Cadillac Mountain Road. At 1,528 feet in elevation, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point in Acadia National Park, and is composed of a unique granite, the Cadillac Mountain granite unit.
A panorama of Acadia National Park with Dorr and Cadillac Mountains on the right side, taken from Cadillac Mountain Road. At 1,528 feet in elevation, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point in Acadia National Park, and is composed of a unique granite, the Cadillac Mountain granite unit.
Blue Ridge Parkway With Fall Foliage
View of Blue Ridge Parkway foliage from Waterrock Knob.
View of Blue Ridge Parkway foliage from Waterrock Knob.
Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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- FAQ
What was the largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century?
The world's largest eruption of the 20th century occurred in 1912 at Novarupta on the Alaska Peninsula in what is now Katmai National Park and Preserve. An estimated 15 cubic kilometers of magma was explosively erupted during 60 hours beginning on June 6th. This volume is equivalent to 230 years of eruption at Kilauea (Hawaii) or about 30 times the volume erupted by Mount St. Helens (Washington)...
What is a hotspot and how do you know it's there?
Most volcanic eruptions occur near the boundaries of tectonic plates, but there are some exceptions. In the interior of some tectonic plates, magma has been erupting from a relatively fixed spot below the plate for millions of years. As the plate continuously moves across that spot, a trail of progressively older volcanic deposits is left at the surface. The Hawaiian Islands are a good example of...
Which volcanoes in the conterminous United States have erupted since the Nation was founded?
Excluding steam eruptions, these volcanoes have shown activity: Mount St. Helens, Washington - Eruptions and/or lava dome growth occurred in the late 1700s, 1800-1857, 1980-1986, and 2004-2008. Lassen Peak, California - A series of steam blasts began on May 30, 1914. An eruption occurred 12 months later on May 21, 1915. Minor activity continued through the middle of 1917. Mount Hood, Oregon -...
Where does the United States rank in the number of volcanoes?
The United States ranks third, behind Indonesia and Japan, in the number of historically active volcanoes (that is, those for which we have written accounts of eruptions). In addition, about 10 percent of the more than 1,500 volcanoes that have erupted in the past 10,000 years are located in the United States. Most of these volcanoes are found in the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, the...
What kind of school training do you need to become a volcanologist?
There are many paths to becoming a volcanologist. Most include a college or graduate school education in a scientific or technical field, but the range of specialties is very large. Training in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, biology, biochemistry, mathematics, statistics, engineering, atmospheric science, remote sensing, and related fields can be applied to the study of volcanoes and the...
What is the difference between "magma" and "lava"?
Scientists use the term magma for molten rock that is underground and lava for molten rock that breaks through the Earth's surface.
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Granite Rocks at Thunder Hole
A granite cliff at Thunder Hole, looking south to Otter Point, in Acadia National Park
A granite cliff at Thunder Hole, looking south to Otter Point, in Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park PanoramaA panorama of Acadia National Park with Dorr and Cadillac Mountains on the right side, taken from Cadillac Mountain Road. At 1,528 feet in elevation, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point in Acadia National Park, and is composed of a unique granite, the Cadillac Mountain granite unit.
A panorama of Acadia National Park with Dorr and Cadillac Mountains on the right side, taken from Cadillac Mountain Road. At 1,528 feet in elevation, Cadillac Mountain is the highest point in Acadia National Park, and is composed of a unique granite, the Cadillac Mountain granite unit.
Blue Ridge Parkway With Fall FoliageView of Blue Ridge Parkway foliage from Waterrock Knob.
View of Blue Ridge Parkway foliage from Waterrock Knob.
Great Smoky MountainsGreat Smoky Mountains National Park
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