Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Volcano Hazards Program

Find U.S. Volcano

There are about 170 potentially active volcanoes in the U.S. The mission of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program is to enhance public safety and minimize social and economic disruption from volcanic unrest and eruption through our National Volcano Early Warning System. We deliver forecasts, warnings, and information about volcano hazards based on a scientific understanding of volcanic behavior.

News

Volcano Watch — A hui hou to a giant of volcanology

Volcano Watch — A hui hou to a giant of volcanology

Photo & Video Chronology — Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight

Photo & Video Chronology — Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight

Volcano Watch — What is the difference between an eruption and an episode?

Volcano Watch — What is the difference between an eruption and an episode?

Publications

Osmium isotope constraints on Mauna Loa–Kilauea magmatic connectivity, Island of Hawai‘i Osmium isotope constraints on Mauna Loa–Kilauea magmatic connectivity, Island of Hawai‘i

The Hawaiian volcanic chain exhibits a long-recognized double track of volcanism defined by the Loa and Kea trends, which erupt chemically and isotopically distinct lavas. Mauna Loa and Kīlauea, the two most frequently active volcanoes of the Loa and Kea trends, produce distinct endmember compositions. However, historical periods of compositional convergence have prompted debate...
Authors
Siddhartha Bharadwaj, Kendra J. Lynn, Aaron J. Pietruszka, Frank A. Trusdell, Mukul Sharma

Tephra from Kīlauea’s 2008–2018 lava lake eruption—Proximal deposits and dispersal characteristics Tephra from Kīlauea’s 2008–2018 lava lake eruption—Proximal deposits and dispersal characteristics

A network of ten buckets was established early in the 2008–2018 summit eruption at Kīlauea to collect proximal tephra ejected from the new, informally named the “Overlook crater”; the buckets were emptied on most days of the eruption thereafter. This report summarizes the results of more than 2,400 different sampling intervals (most 1–3 days long) during the eruption, focusing on the...
Authors
Don Swanson, Tim R. Orr, Matthew R. Patrick, Bruce F. Houghton

High-resolution magnetic survey using an unoccupied aerial vehicle to constrain buried lava flow geometry, volume, and eruptive history of Little Cones, Crater Flat, Nevada High-resolution magnetic survey using an unoccupied aerial vehicle to constrain buried lava flow geometry, volume, and eruptive history of Little Cones, Crater Flat, Nevada

Magnetic surveys are an important tool used to augment geologic mapping in distributed volcanic fields. Using magnetic anomalies, it is possible to model the geometry of shallowly buried volcanic features, such as conduits, sills, and lava flows. This subsurface mapping is important for understanding eruption dynamics and emplacement of lava flows, and it sometimes reveals buried...
Authors
Robert Van Alphen, Mel Rodgers, Rocco Malservisi, Charles B. Connor, Rachel Bakowski, Troy Berkey
Was this page helpful?