U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2006—3142

December 2006

The National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS)

Within the United States, numerous 

volcanoes threaten people, property, 

and infrastructure on the ground, as 

well as aircraft in the skies. Many 

hazardous volcanoes currently are 

undermonitored, have antiquated 

monitoring systems, or have no groundbased monitoring at all.

NVEWS aims to reduce vulnerability to 

volcanic hazards by providing:

Robust, real-time monitoring of the 

most threatening of the Nation’s 

volcanoes

A 24/7 Volcano Watch Office

Improved research collaboration 

between Federal and academic 

scientists 

A National Volcano Data Center

High-quality data sets for 

volcanological research

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March 8, 2005, eruption of Mount St. Helens. After 18 years of quiet, Mount St. Helens reawakened 

in September 2004 with a swarm of earthquakes and rapid deformation of the crater floor. Within 

days, the volcano was producing minor steam and ash eruptions; after only 18 days, the first lava 

reached the surface. Although monitoring instrumentation was sufficient to detect the obvious onset 

of seismic unrest, much of the equipment and telemetry had been installed more than 20 years 

previously, and their limitations soon became evident. For example, as earthquake activity increased, 

many seismic signals went off scale, limiting diagnostic capabilities. Telemetered deformation 

instruments could not be installed quickly enough to capture the deformation signal as magma 

rose to the surface. Additional monitoring instrumentation had to be installed quickly as the USGS 

Cascades Volcano Observatory and CUSVO partner University of Washington/Pacific Northwest 

Seismic Network reacted to the escalating activity while a potentially hazardous situation

rapidly unfolded. 

USGS photo by Matt Logan

NVEWS addresses the disaster reduction 

goals articulated by the Subcommitee on 

Disaster Reduction of the National Science 

and Technology Council1 :

Providing hazard and disaster information 

where and when it is needed

Understanding the natural processes that 

produce hazards

Developing hazard mitigation strategies

and technologies

Recognizing and reducing vulnerability

of infrastructure

Assessing disaster resilience

Promoting risk-wise behavior

1

National Science and Technology Council, 

2005, Grand challenges for disaster reduction: A report of the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction: Washington, D.C., 21 p.

(http://www.sdr.gov/SDRGrandChallenges

forDisasterReduction.pdf)

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Volcanic Threat and Monitoring 

Capabilities in the United States

The National Volcano Early Warning 

System (NVEWS) is a proposed nationalscale effort by the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) Volcano Hazards Program and 

its affiliated partners in the Consortium 

of U.S. Volcano Observatories (CUSVO) 

(http://www.cusvo.org) to ensure that volcanoes are monitored at a level commensurate with the threats they pose. Roughly 

half of the Nation’s 169 young volcanoes 

are dangerous because of the manner in 

which they erupt and the communities 

and infrastructure within their destructive 

reach. Most U.S. volcanoes are located on 

sparsely populated Federal lands, but it is 

the threat to communities and infrastructure downstream and downwind, including to military and commercial aviation, 

that drives the need to properly monitor 

volcanic activity and provide forecasts and 

notifications of expected hazards.

Waiting until unrest escalates at a volcano then reacting to improve sparse monitoring arrays results in the loss of precious 

time and data as scientists, civil authorities, 

citizens, and businesses play “catch up” 

with a dangerous force of nature. NVEWS 

is a proposal to address monitoring needs 

at potentially dangerous volcanoes that 

have inadequate ground-based monitoring or none at all and to move beyond a 

reactive approach to mitigating volcanic 

risk. The most hazardous volcanoes would 

be properly monitored well in advance of 

the onset of activity, making it possible 

for scientists to improve the timeliness 

and accuracy of hazard forecasts and for 

citizens to take proper and timely action to 

reduce risk. 

The first step in developing NVEWS 

was a systematic assessment of (1) threats 

posed by U.S. volcanoes to human life and 

enterprise, (2) current monitoring capabilities at each volcano, and (3) improvements 

necessary to fill the worst monitoring gaps. 

The NVEWS assessment, published in 

2005 (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1164/), 

shows that a few volcanoes are relatively 
a day 7 days a week would extend the 

capabilities of the five U.S. Volcano Observatories to provide forecasts, alerts, and 

authoritative information on volcanic unrest 

and eruptive activity throughout the United 

States and selected regions abroad. Establishing a Watch Office would put the U.S. 

Volcano Observatories on the same roundthe-clock operational footing as important 

partners and clientele.

Reducing Community Vulnerability. A major objective of NVEWS is to 

build on the current level of community 

outreach, including creating informationdelivery systems that will allow customers, partners, cooperators, and the public 

to find and understand the information 

that they need about volcanic hazards.

If fully implemented, NVEWS promises to provide hazard information where 

and when it is needed as well as improve 

understanding of the natural processes that 

produce volcanic hazards.

For more information contact:

U.S. Geological Survey

Volcano Hazards Program Office

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive

Reston, VA 20192

Tel.: (703) 648-6711 Fax: (703)648-5483

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov

John Ewert, Marianne Guffanti, 

Peter Cervelli, and James Quick

well monitored with telemetered instrument 

arrays of various types. Many other volcanoes are monitored primarily by a network 

of sparsely distributed seismic instruments 

that lack the sensitivity to detect the subtle 

earthquakes that commonly characterize the 

earliest stages of unrest. Some hazardous 

volcanoes have no ground-based monitoring 

whatsoever. 

The overall result of the NVEWS 

assessment is the identification of 57 

priority volcanoes that are undermonitored 

for the threats posed and thus targets for 

improved monitoring networks (see table).

Framework for a National Volcano 

Early Warning System

An effective monitoring and hazardwarning system will generate timely and 

accurate identification of the hazards and 

provide mechanisms to inform people so 

that they can take action to mitigate the 

impact of the hazardous phenomena. More 

than a network of instruments, NVEWS 

connects the monitoring and research efforts 

of scientists to the emergency managers and 

general public at both national and local 

levels to minimize the impact of volcanic 

activity on the Nation. NVEWS provides 

a common framework for coordinating the 

collection and dissemination of data among 

all relevant Federal agencies, academic 

partners, and the general public.

Expanded Volcano Monitoring. An 

increase in the scope and scale of volcano 

monitoring in the United States will form 

the basis of more reliable eruption forecasts 

and warnings. The much richer body of 

observations and data on volcanic activity 

that would become available with NVEWS 

will foster innovative and multidisciplinary 

research that provides the scientific underpinnings of accurate forecasts of volcanic 

behavior.

External Grants Program. Under 

NVEWS, an external grants program 

administered by the USGS Volcano Hazards 

Program would fund needed research on 

hazardous phenomena and risk mitigation. 

Such a program would enhance collaboration between USGS and external researchers and increase the breadth of expertise 

brought to bear on reducing volcanic risk.

National Volcano Data Center. A 

system for organizing and sharing diverse 

data related to volcano hazards would 

be established so that pertinent information will be accessible for researchers and 

response managers.

24/7 Volcano Watch Office. A USGS 

Volcano Watch Office operating 24 hours 

US VOLCANOES and NVEWS Targets The United States has the largest number of young 

volcanoes capable of erupting of any country in the world. In the past 26 years, 47 eruptions 

and at least 17 episodes of significant unrest have occurred at 34 different volcanoes. The 

United States has five volcano observatories (Alaska, Cascades, Hawaiian, Long Valley, and 

Yellowstone) supported primarily by the USGS Volcano Hazards Program that relies on staff 

and facilities of the USGS and affiliated academic institutions and State and Federal agencies. 

Red triangles are the 35 highest-priority NVEWS targets; orange triangles are the 22 highpriority targets; small green triangles are other U.S. volcanoes.

Highest Priority High Priority

Alaska

Akutan, Amak, Amukta, Augustine, 

Bogoslof, Cleveland, Fourpeaked, 

Kasatochi, Kiska, Makushin, 

Recheschnoi, Redoubt, Seguam, 

Vsevidof, Yantarni, Yunaska

Black Peak, Chiginagak, Churchill, 

Dana, Douglas, Dutton, Edgecumbe, Hayes, Kaguyak, Kupreanof, Mount Spurr, Wrangell

Washington Glacier Peak, Mount Baker, Mount 

Rainier, Mount St. Helens Mount Adams

Oregon Crater Lake, Mount Hood, 

Newberry, South Sister North Sister Field

California Lassen Peak, Mount Shasta Clear Lake, Inyo Craters, Mono Craters, Mono Lake Field, Medicine Lake

Wyoming Yellowstone

Hawaii Kilauea, Mauna Loa Hualalai

Commonwealth of 

N. Mariana Islands

Agrigan, Alamagan, Anatahan, Asuncion, Farallon 

de Pajaros, Guguan, Pagan

Sarigan