Natural Hazards - Volcanoes

When the violent energy of a volcano is unleashed, the results can be catastrophic. The risks to life, property, and infrastructure are escalating as more and more people live, work, play, and travel in volcanic regions.

To help keep communities safe, it is essential to monitor hazardous volcanoes so that the public knows when unrest begins and what hazards can be expected.

The USGS has greatly advanced its ability to evaluate volcanic risks and hazards through research and monitoring programs. USGS realtime volcano-monitoring tools collect and transfer large amounts of data from remote volcanoes for analysis and interpretation.

USGS's analyses and interpretations help the public, policymakers, and emergency managers make informed decisions on how to prepare for and react to volcano hazards and reduce losses from future volcanic eruptions and debris flows.

Recent Volcano Observatory Activity Reports

Kilauea Daily Update issued May 7, 2009 07:43 HST Volcano Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Glow from the Halema`uma`u vent continues to be bright and increasingly visible. Lava from east rift zone vents continues to flow through tubes to the coast and is entering the ocean at two locations west of Kalapana; a surface flow was active yesterday on the pali. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and Pu`u `O`o vents probably remain elevated but wind and sky conditions are not sufficient for new measurements. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: The molten lava surface may be moving slowly upward but is still deep below the ...
LONG VALLEY OBSERVATORY CURRENT STATUS REPORT issued May 7, 2009 09:17 PDT Volcano Alert Level NORMAL - Aviation Color Code GREEN
The realtime detection system located three small earthquakes in the Long Valley caldera area since the last update at 9:37 AM on May 6. All were located in the Sierra Nevada south of the caldera. The largest was a M=1.2 earthquake at 9:50 AM on the 6th located 11 miles ESE of Mammoth Lakes.
Redoubt Daily Update issued May 6, 2009 14:12 ADT Volcano Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
The 2009 eruption of Redoubt continues. Seismicity at the volcano has intensified in the last 24 hours, with nearly continuous small earthquakes now being recorded near the summit. Steam emissions have become increasingly vigorous over the last 24 hours. Satellite data from this morning show minor ash components in plume emissions. Rockfalls also continue to trigger ash emissions near the summit. At approximately 22:00 AKDT on May 5 (0600 UTC May 6), there was a distinct increase in seismicity, with a near doubling in the intensity of volcanic tremor and a notable increase in the number ...
Kilauea Daily Update issued May 6, 2009 08:15 HST Volcano Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
Activity Summary for past 24 hours: Glow from the Halema`uma`u vent continues to be bright. Lava from east rift zone vents continues to flow through tubes to the coast and is entering the ocean at two locations west of Kalapana; a fire and/or a surface flow breakout was detected on the pali by satellite just before midnight. Sulfur dioxide emission rates from the Halema`uma`u and Pu`u `O`o vents probably remain elevated but wind and sky conditions are not sufficient for new measurements. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: It was night #4 for bright glow from the summit vent ...