How does the USGS provide eruption warnings?
The USGS warning system varies depending on the nature and proximity of volcanic hazards to surrounding communities or aircraft. Before a crisis starts, we provide hazards-zone maps and other information about the frequency of eruptions and extent of specific hazards to public officials, land-use planners, and emergency-management agencies. The USGS works with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Weather Service to provide airline pilots with timely information about hazardous volcanic ash clouds. When communities are at risk, scientists give hazards information directly to public officials to help them make decisions about land-use or evacuations. Unlike the movie, warnings are delivered only after a thorough analysis of all existing information and careful consultation among members of the USGS response team. Our goal is always to keep natural processes from becoming natural disasters.
