An endless number of questions can be asked about Earth's volcanoes, and not all of them can be answered completely by scientists. Each new eruption and research project provides new information about how volcanoes work, and usually presents scientists with many new questions to try to answer in subsequent work. The questions below are ones that we frequently receive from people interested in volcanoes. Since some of these questions are answered by information in this website (and other websites), we've provided links for you to follow to learn of the answer(s). Please use the feedback link at the bottom of this page to suggest additional questions that are important to you.

About This Site

• Can the images on this website be used in "my" brochure, publication, presentation, or program?

• For the images that are in the public domain, are they available from the webmaster in a higher resolution?

About Studying and Working on Volcanoes

• Are you "scared" when work on an active volcano?

• Is it dangerous and what precautions do scientists take?

• What's it like to work on volcanoes?

• What kind of school training do you need to become a volcanologist?

• What instruments, tools, and methods do you use to study volcanoes?

About Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Climate, and the Earth's Structure

• Is there a relationship between large earthquakes (>M 6) that occur along major fault zones and nearby volcanic eruptions?

About Volcanic Eruptions

• Can an eruption at one volcano trigger an eruption at another nearby volcano (for example, within about 10 km)?

• Is there evidence for a cause and effect relationship between eruptions that occur at about the same time from volcanoes located hundreds to thousands of kilometers apart?

• What volcanoes in the conterminous United States have erupted since the Nation was founded?

Can't find your question here? Try these Web pages:

• Questions about the Yellowstone Volcanic Field
• Questions answered by the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
• Volcano questions answered in Volcano World