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NGDC Natural Hazards Slide Sets

Volcanoes in Eruption - Set 1 The word "volcano" is used to refer to the opening from which molten rock and gas issue from Earth's interior onto the surface, and also to the cone, hill, or mountain built up around the opening by the eruptive products. This slide set depicts explosive eruptions, lava fountains and flows, stream eruptions, and fissure eruptions from 19 volcanoes in 13 countries. volcano types represented in this set include strato, cinder cone, complex, fissure vent, lava dome, shield, and island-forming. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Volcanic Rocks and Features Volcanoes have contributed significantly to the formation of the surface of our planet. Volcanism produced the crust we live on and most of the air we breathe. The remnants of an eruption reveal as much as the eruption itself, for they tell us many things about the eruption. Included here are examples of several volcanic products and other magmatic features, with descriptions of how they were formed and what they tell us about volcanism. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Volcanoes in Eruption - Set 2 The word "volcano" is used to refer to the opening from which molten rock and gas issue from Earth's interior onto the surface, and also to the cone, hill, or mountain built up around the opening by the eruptive products. This slide set depicts ash clouds, fire fountains, lava flows, spatter cones, glowing avalanches, and steam eruptions from 18 volcanoes in 13 countries. Volcano types include strato, cinder cone, basaltic shield, complex, and island-forming. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Eruption of Mount Saint Helens, May 18, 1980 The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount Saint Helens was the most destructive in the history of the United States. Mount Saint Helens is located in southwest Washington in the Cascade Range, a mountain range dominated by periodically active volcanic peaks. In addition to photos taken on May 18, 1980, this slide set includes images of pre-eruption activity and post-eruption effects such as the blast area, mud flows, ash fall, and altered terrain. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Hawaii Volcanism: Impact on the Environment Fewer than one hundred people have been killed by eruptions in the recorded history of Hawaii, and only one death has occurred in the 20th Century. However, the lava flows are highly destructive to populated and cultivated areas. This set depicts the negative impact of lava flows on communities, vegetation, marine life, roads, and coastlines. It also illustrates the benefits of Hawaii volcanism such as the production of geothermal power, increase in land area of the islands, and opportunities of viewing and studying volcanism in relative safety. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Hawaii Volcanism: Lava Forms Over the last several million years the Hawaiian Islands have been built of successive lava flows. They are the most recent additions in a long line of volcanoes that extends up the intersection of the Aleutian Island chain with the Kamchatka peninsula. This set includes very colorful images of lava fountains, lakes, cascades, flows, spatter and lava entry to the sea from eruptions occurring over the last 30 years. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Mount Pinatubo, Philippines: June 1991 Eruptions Mount Pinatubo is an andesitic island arc volcano, located on the southwestern part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Prior to 1991, it had been dormant for more than 635 years. After months of rumbling, the volcano stirred to life on April 2, 1991. The next two and a half months were marked by generally increasing volcanic and seismic activity at the site. On June 15, a cataclysmic eruption began with a tremendous explosion. This slide set shows the early stages of the eruption phase, the cataclysmic eruption of June 15, and the effects and aftermath of the eruption. Subsequent calamities caused by the ash, pyroclastic flows, mud flows, and flooding are also depicted. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Crater Peak (Mount Spurr), Alaska: Eruptions of 1992 Alaska has a number of active and potentially active volcanoes. More than one-half of the population of Alaska lives within 300 km of an active volcano. In the last 100 years there have been two eruptions at Mr. Spurr, three at Redoubt Volcano, and four eruptions at the Augustine Volcano. The 1989-1990 eruption of Redoubt Volcano resulted in 160 million dollars of damage and loss. This set follows the story of Crater Peak activity from June through October, 1992, and discusses precursors, the eruptions, and effects on the environment. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Mount Pinatubo Revisited: A Study of Lahar Erosion At dawn on June 15, 1991, a cataclysmic eruption began with a tremendous explosion that destroyed ten deserted villages. This eruption deposited approximately 5 to 7 km3 of volcanic fragments in pyroclastic flows on the slopes of the volcano and over neighboring towns and agricultural areas. It is this material that continues to threaten structures and lives in the area, in the form of lahars (debris flows) during heavy rainstorms. The lahars from the Mount Pinatubo volcano have been particularly damaging to the surrounding area. This set of slides shows how the disaster that began at Pinatubo in 1991 continues to threaten the population in the area. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,

Fire vs. Water: Erosional/Depositional Geology, Hawaiian Islands Even a casual, untrained observer will see evidence that opposing forces have formed the Hawaiian Islands. The massive and lofty volcanoes have been scoured, abraded, and lacerated by streams and the sea. On the oldest islands (in the northwest) the volcanic mountains have been eroded and deeply cut by canyons. Even farther north are coral reefs and atolls--all that remain of former islands. This slide set examines volcanic features and their erosion by waves, glaciers, streams, and storms. The images include dramatic examples of Hawaii's unique geology. View Captions, Thumbnails, or Slides,