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Where are America’s volcanoes? Hawaii, Alaska, the Pacific
Northwest and Yellowstone National Park might spring
to mind, but there are more than 150 potentially active
volcanoes across the U.S. and its territories, including in Arizona,
Utah and Colorado — and many have erupted in the geologically
recent past.
In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identified 57 volca-
noes it considers “Very High” or “High” threats based on factors
such as the likelihood of future eruptions and their proximity to
population hubs. For example, Washington state’s Mount Rainier
is less than 60 miles from Seattle. Some of these higher-risk volca-
noes pose very real dangers to large numbers of people. Others,
such as those in the sparsely populated Aleutian Islands, which
arc between Alaska and Russia, could pose a significant aircraft
hazard. (In 2010, ash particles from the eruption of Iceland’s
Eyjafjallajökull disrupted international air traffic for weeks.)
To better prepare for such threats, the National Volcano Early
Warning System (NVEWS) became law in March. NVEWS estab-
lishes the first integrated system for monitoring the country’s
potentially restless volcanoes. The effort includes placing much-
needed instruments on many volcanoes to watch for activities
such as earthquakes, ground uplift and gas emissions, all signs
that an eruption might be in the works.
NVEWS will integrate monitoring data, USGS analysis and
communication with local governments and other entities
responsible for getting people out of harm’s way the next time
a potentially dangerous volcano starts to rumble somewhere
in the U.S.Volcano Early
Warning System
Rumbles to Life
BY ERIK KLEMETTI