Which U.S. volcanoes are likely to erupt next?
Tue, Oct 13 2009 at 8:30 AM EST
Read more: NATURAL DISASTERS, VOLCANOES
Inside this Article
| 1. Where are U.S. volcanoes? | 5. Glacier Peak |
| 2. Mount Rainier | 6. Mount Baker |
| 3. Mauna Loa | 7. Lassen Peak |
| 4. Mount St. Helens | 8. Mount Hood |
When the smell of rotten eggs began wafting through Alaska's Lake Clark National Park in late summer of 2008, scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory knew it meant trouble. And they weren't taking any chances with nearby Mount Redoubt, a 10,120-foot volcano that only gave 24 hours' notice the last time it erupted in 1989, its only previous eruption in recorded history.
"People had that on their minds when it was becoming active this time," says Matthew Haney, a research geophysicist with AVO in Anchorage. Emitting foul-smelling sulfur gas is one sign a volcano is waking up, along with magma tremors, venting steam, and melting snow and ice. By fall of '08, Redoubt was doing all those things.
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DiggThe scientists were right to be concerned. Although Redoubt's buildup was slower this time around, it finally erupted on the night of March 22, sending a plume of ash 60,000 feet above sea level, and Haney says he wouldn't be surprised if the current eruption persists for months. It's the latest reminder of the threats posed not only by Alaska's 50 historically active volcanoes, but also by more than 100 other active U.S. volcanoes in the Cascade and Hawaiian ranges, nearly all of which inhabit the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Alaska
Mostly located along the Aleutian Islands, Alaska's volcanoes generally make a big production out of erupting thanks to their gas-rich magma, and while populations are sparse in the region, their tall ash plumes still plague airlines that fly overhead, since the particles can clog their engines. A Boeing 747 that flew through the ash cloud above Mount Redoubt in 1989 lost power in both engines, plummeting until the pilot finally regained control.
Cascades
The vast majority of volcanoes in the Lower 48 states are in the Cascade Range, a mountain chain stretching from southern British Columbia to Northern California. Like the Aleutian volcanoes, they tend to erupt explosively due to high concentrations of gas in their magma. They aren't as active as Alaska's volcanoes, but they've caused the most powerful eruptions on U.S. soil, and they're dangerously close to large population centers.
The third major patch of volcanoes on U.S. territory is in Hawaii — or, rather, it is Hawaii, since the islands were all formed by slow, undersea lava flows building up over millions of years. Whereas volcanoes in the Aleutians and the Cascades erupt explosively, Hawaiian volcanoes tend to ooze out lava slowly because of their lower gas content. That's on display at Kilauea, which has been erupting continuously since 1983 and makes Hawaii the only U.S. state that's still growing.
With two American volcanoes erupting and dozens of others capable of suddenly blowing their lids in the near future, we decided to compile a list of some likely suspects to erupt next. Volcanic eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict in the long term, so this list isn't comprehensive. These seven volcanoes are, however, considered to pose serious threats whenever they do eventually erupt again.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated from its original version, which first appeared April 2, 2009.
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