The Volcano Hazards Program; objectives and long-range plans

Volcanoes and the products of volcanoes have a much greater impact on people and society than is generally perceived. Although commonly destructive, volcanic eruptions can be spectacularly beautiful and, more importantly, they have produced the very air we breathe, the water we drink, and our most fertile soils. Volcanoes also have a profound effect on climate, and their roots form geothermal energy reservoirs and contain valuable mineral deposits including copper, molybdenum, tin, silver, gold, and diamonds. Of course, volcanoes will continue to erupt whether we understand them or not, but one of the functions of enlightened government and a mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to try to understand and to assess the dangers of volcanic eruptions to our land and people.