VOLCANIC HAZARDS IN THE US- WEEK 5

This week Geol9 is exploring the volcanic hazards in different countries and their warning systems. I’ll be focusing on the US.

There are several ways we minimize the danger of volcanic activity (apart from the obvious of ‘getting out of the way’…(J:

·         Forecasting (earthquakes as early warnings -although in 2014 a Japanese volcano erupted without any previous seismicity (livescience article), land swelling before eruption, gas emissions, etc.)

·         Volcanic Alert Codes (USGS): the levels of alert and the aviation code levels commonly change at the same time (chart on right). A non-erupting volcano will have a green icon, and a red one indicates an imminent eruption (see USGS Alert Codes).

Today the USGS hazards map shows four U.S. volcanoes as to be above normal background (elevated unrest or eruptions; see below) or have shown activity that warranted an Information Release (for example, an earthquake swarm). Scientists from the five regional volcano observatories of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program participate in developing these plans with state and local governments of at-risk areas. If volcanic unrest or an eruption occurs, scientists from the observatories will keep state and local officials informed of potential hazards so that coordination and response plans can be updated as needed:

Bogoslof, Kilauea, and Cleveland- Alert Level=WATCH. Aviation Color Code=Orange. Note: Kilauea has been erupting for 34 years!

Mauna Loa Alert Level=ADVISORY. Aviation Color Code=Yellow.