Volcano Hazard Maps: Past, Present, and Future

Throughout most of human existence, we haven't known much about how volcanoes work. Because of their immense power, they have terrified and fascinated us, and remain places of great spiritual importance for many people. The lack of knowledge about volcanoes has sometimes resulted in tragic and deadly disasters. But with the emergence of the science of volcanology and as the science has evolved, so has our ability to map and analyze volcano hazards and their impacts. Volcano hazard maps have become a very important tool for communicating volcanic hazards and mitigating disasters. Joseph Bard, a geographer with the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, talks about the past, present, and future of volcano hazard maps in this presentation for the Sno-Isle Libraries’ 2021 Whidbey Reads program.