Volcano Hazards
U.S. Volcanoes and Current Activity Alerts
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There are 169 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. We accomplish this by delivering effective forecasts, warnings, and information about volcano hazards based on scientific understanding of volcanic processes.
News
Thousands of years of caldera inflation and deflation recorded in the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake
Thanks to technology like GPS (Global Positioning System), scientists know that the ground at Yellowstone moves up and down at a rate of a few centimeters—about an inch—per year. But what was happening to the caldera before scientists had the ability to make these measurements? Yellowstone Lake holds the key, with a record of deformation that extends back thousands of years!
Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - September 18, 2020
Vibrant color variations at Kīlauea's summit water lake
Volcano Watch — HVO camera network reconfiguration and upgrades coming soon!
Over the past two decades, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has set up a camera network system to monitor visual changes at Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. This network was designed for the volcanic activity of the time and captured the two long-lived eruptions of Kīlauea at the summit and East Rift Zone up close.