Hazardous Planet -- Volcanoes

G130 - Hazardous Planet (Section C451)
Spring 1997

Volcanoes

In one of the most dramatic geophysical events in recent U.S. history, Mount St. Helens blasted away a cubic mile of its summit, losing over 1300 feet in elevation. The May 18, 1980 , eruption triggered destructive floods and mud flows, devastating 230 square miles of Washington timber, and sent an ash plume 15 miles into the atmosphere.

1976	This series of Landsat Multispectral images show the area four years before the eruption , immediately after, and ten years following the eruption. Reds and browns indicate densely vegetated forests while irregular patches of green and light blue show logging areas. In the post-eruption image, the complete devastation area appears in gray and white, including the river valleys that became channels for huge mud flows.
1980
1990

Volcano World

Resources at USGS

Volcanic Effects

FS-002-97 What are Volcano Hazards? (PDF only)
FS-172-96 Invisible CO2 Gas Killing Trees at Mammoth Mountain, California
FS-108-96 Living With a Restless Caldera--Long Valley, California
OFR-95-642: History and Hazards of Mount Rainier, Washington
OFR-95-553: The USGS/OFDA Volcano Disaster Assistance Program
OFR-95-059: Yellowstone: Restless Volcanic Giant
OFR-94-585: Preparing for The Next Eruption in the Cascades
OFR-94-313: Evolution of Sediment Yield from Mount St. Helens, Washington, 1980-1993
OFR-94-028: Experimental Studies of Deposition at a Debris-Flow Flume
OFR-93-445: Can Rain Cause Volcanic Eruptions?
OFR-93-379: The USGS/USAID Volcano Disaster Assistance Program
OFR-93-111: History of Landslides and Debris Flows at Mount Rainier
OFR-93-124: Glacier-generated debris flows at Mount Rainier
OFR-92-483: Debris-Flow Flume at H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon
OFR-92-474: Glaciers on Mount Rainier

For information on this and other WWW pages at the Department of Geology, IUPUI please contact Bob E. Hall. As always suggestions and comments are welcomed.