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USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington

Who's Keeping Watch Over Cascades Volcanoes?

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

-- Cascades Volcano Observatory, 1997,
Who's Keeping Watch Over Cascades Volcanoes? The U.S.Geological Survey (USGS): USGS Open File Report 97-125
Mount St. Helens lava dome with plume, from Sugarbowl, 1983

The USGS Observes, Measures, and Studies Volcanoes in the Cascades

The USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) in Vancouver, Washington, was founded in 1980 following the devastating eruption of Mount St. Helens. It is one of three such observatories in the country today (others are in Hawaii and Alaska). Observatory scientists, technicians, and support staff work in partnership with colleagues at other USGS centers, universities, and other agencies to:

  • Monitor restless volcanoes and provide timely warning of eruptions
  • Assess hazards from volcanoes, including water-related hazards in valleys draining volcanoes
  • Share volcano information with emergency-management and planning officials
  • Develop new techniques and methods to better monitor and predict behavior of volcanoes
  • Study volcanic processes
  • Educate public officials, citizens, and the news media about what volcanoes can do

Click for Larger Image - Cascades Eruptions During Past 4000 Years

The USGS Works to Prevent Volcanic Disasters

In the past 200 years, seven volcanoes in the Cascades have erupted, and Cascade eruptions can trigger a variety of hazardous processes. Areas within 10 to 20 miles of erupting volcanoes can be devastated by flows and blasts of hot rock and superheated air, and valleys may be exposed to high concentrations of lethal volcanic gases (also possible during noneruptive periods). Volcanic ash can rise high into the air to drift with the wind, threatening aircraft and disrupting life on the ground hundreds of miles downwind. Eruptions (and sometimes giant landslides not related to eruptions) can also send floods or torrents of mud and rock hundreds of miles down river valleys. The USGS works to prevent loss of life and property from these catastrophic processes here in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.

Click for Larger Image - Where USGS Has Assisted, 1987-99

The USGS Sends Rapid Response Teams to Areas of Volcanic Crisis

The core of the USGS volcano rapid response team is located at CVO. Team members are capable of responding within 24 hours to threatening volcanic activity anywhere in the US or the rest of the world. USGS staff have the experience that is often needed and requested by the U.S. Agency for International Development (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance) for crisis situations in many countries. The additional experience gained from work at foreign volcanoes greatly strengthens the USGS program because it provides a training ground where skills are sharpened, experience is broadened, and equipment is tested. USGS scientists then are better prepared to respond to volcano crises at home.

The USGS Provides Information, Products, and
Services about Volcano Hazards

The USGS at CVO offers a range of information about volcano hazards to scientists, planners, emergency-management officials, emergency-response teams, law-enforcement personnel, educators, and citizens.

Products

  • "Fact Sheets" about hazards and natural processes related to volcanoes
  • Exhibits about individual volcanoes and volcanic hazards
  • Resource materials for teachers about volcanoes and geology in general (booklets, videos, rock collections, etc.)
  • Reports about scientific studies of hazardous processes and geological history of Cascades volcanoes
  • Hazard assessment maps and reports for volcanoes in Washington, Oregon, and California (paper copies and digital files)

Services

  • World Wide Web Site: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/
    A wealth of information about Northwest volcanoes, real-time conditions at streams and rivers around Mount St. Helens, USGS volcano research activities, and some fact sheets, reports, and maps can be obtained through our Web Site.

  • Educational presentations and workshops for schools, teachers, and community groups

For More Information

Please contact the Public Information Officer at: 

U.S.Geological Survey
Cascades Volcano Observatory
5400 MacArthur Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98661-7095

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URL for CVO HomePage is: <http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/home.html>
URL for this page is: <http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Cascades/Publications/OFR97-125/OFR97-125.html>
If you have questions or comments please contact: <GS-CVO-WEB@usgs.gov>
05/31/00, Lyn Topinka