6
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Think About It Date
Page G51 Page #
· How would you be
able to tell that a
volcano was about
to erupt?
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Investigate Date
Pages G52-53 Page #
2a. In your notebook,
write down each kind of
event that signals
volcanic activity.
3a. Sketch your design
In your notebook.
3b. Label the parts of the
Instrument and list the
Materials from which it
Will be built.
4. Specify the following
About your instrument:
a. What it does.
b. Where on or near
the volcano to place
it.
c. How to position it
on the site.
d. How to operate it.
e. How to record
observations.
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Digging Deeper Date
Pages G54-56 Page #
USGS United States Geological Survey
Monitoring Only 25% of the world’s active volcanoes are monitored
Most potentially active volcanoes are not monitored due to a lack of funding
Mobile system The USGS developed a mobile volcano monitoring system
It allows scientists to quickly install monitoring equipment and assess the potential hazard when a volcano becomes restless
Seismology the study of earthquakes and of the structure of the Earth
Monitoring This system is not capable of stopping nor can it be designed to stop any natural occurrence
Its purpose is to provide forecasts to local populations and agencies for the health and welfare of their communities
It involves recording and analyses of measurable phenomena such as:
•ground movements
•earthquakes
•variation in gas compositions
•deviation in local electrical fields
and magnetic fields
•pressure and stress
HVO Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Began monitoring in 1912
Active volcanoes Kilauea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii are two of the world’s most active
Tiltmeter measures the change in slope in a real volcano
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Check Your Understanding Date
Page G56 Page #
1. Can monitoring
equipment be used to
prevent a volcano from
erupting? Explain what
monitoring equipment
can do.
2. What does monitoring
an volcano involve?
3. What external
evidence indicates that
a reservoir in a volcano
is being “fed” with
magma?
4. Is a tiltmeter a
sensitive measuring
device? Explain
your answer.
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Understanding and Applying Date
Pages G56-57 Page #
1d. How does elevation
and slope of a volcano
change prior to an
eruption?
1e. How could you
measure changes in the
elevation of a volcanic
dome?
1f. What changes in
volcanic gases indicate
an ensuing eruption?
1g. How does seismic
activity change prior to
an eruption?
2. Describe three
methods of monitoring
an active volcano.
2a. Which monitoring
system is least reliable?
explain.
2b. Which monitoring
systems are most
dangerous to those who
monitor and active
volcano? Explain.
2c. Which monitoring
systems would be most
useful in your
community? Explain.
2d. What aspects of
volcano monitoring are
most challenging for
geologists? For
communities? Explain.
3. Why is weather
monitored more closely
than volcanic activity
in the U.S.?
Monitoring Active Volcanoes
Inquiring Further Date
Page G57 Page #
1. Volcanic hazards of
Mt. Ranier
View the movie Perilous
beauty, The Hidden
dangers of Mount Ranier,
U.S. Department of the
Interior, USGS. This
movie is the result of in-
depth research into the
volcanic hazards of Mt.
Ranier.