Volcano Hazards
U.S. Volcanoes and Current Activity Alerts
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There are 161 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.
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New USGS Professional Paper Chapter — A Decade of Geodetic Change at Kīlauea’s Summit— Observations, Interpretations, and Unanswered Questions from Studies of the 2008–2018 Halema‘uma‘u Eruption
A new chapter of USGS Professional Paper 1867, "The 2008–2018 Summit Lava Lake at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i" was recently published online. The 2008–2018 lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea marked the longest sustained period of lava lake activity at the summit in decades and provided a new opportunity for observing and understanding lava...
Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – October 25, 2021
The ongoing eruption at Kīlauea's summit began at 3:21 p.m. HST on September 29, 2021. Lava activity is currently confined within Halema'uma'u crater. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear—monitor the eruption from within the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park with NPS permission.
How much heat is emitted by hydrothermal areas on the floor of Yellowstone Lake?
Measuring the heat output of a hydrothermal area is not easy—Earth’s surface is often too noisy for accurate measurements to be made easily. But the floor of Yellowstone Lake is a thermally quiet environment and provides a unique opportunity to assess heat flow in one of Yellowstone’s most dynamic hydrothermal areas.