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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 — First light (and flight) for HVO’s new airborne lidar system

Volcano Watch — First light (and flight) for HVO’s new airborne lidar system

Volcano Watch — Understanding magma storage and migration in Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone

Volcano Watch — Understanding magma storage and migration in Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone

What do volcanoes smell like?

What do volcanoes smell like?

Publications

A case for improved global coordination of volcano observatories

The distribution of volcano monitoring networks and volcano expertise does not correlate well with the global distribution of volcanic risk. All countries have cultural, financial, bureaucratic, political, and logistical barriers to effective risk reduction. The lack of parity amongst volcano observatories jeopardizes public safety and curtails scientific research and understanding. Having global
Authors
Jacob B. Lowenstern

Distributed volcanism—Characteristics, processes, and hazards

IntroductionDistributed volcanism is defined by regions of dominantly, but not exclusively, monogenetic eruptive vents that are commonly mafic. Volcanic eruptions within distributed fields can range in composition from basalt to rhyolite and produce all types of volcanoes in all tectonic environments. This diversity in eruption composition and style reflects complex and varied magma ascent and sto

Temporal, spatial, and chemical evolution of Quaternary high-silica rhyolites in the Mineral Mountains, Utah

The Mineral Mountains in southwestern Utah are a structurally controlled core complex at the confluence of the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range physiographic provinces. Aside from hosting Utah’s largest batholith, the Mineral Mountains host some of the State’s youngest high-silica rhyolites, which have been linked to a magma source that is presently being utilized as an enhanced geothermal
Authors
Tiffany A. Rivera, Brian R. Jicha, Stefan Kirby, Hannah B. Peacock
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