United States Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment Explained

The United States Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment is a report containing a ranked list of active volcanoes in the United States posing hazardous risks to the American population. The report was published by the United States Geological Survey in 2005 and revised in 2018.^[1]

2018 list

The 2018 ranked list of hazardous volcanoes in the United States below is based on a 24-factor scoring matrix used to calculate overall threat scores and aviation threat scores.

Rank	Volcano	State	Overall threat score	Aviation threat score	Coordinates
1	Kīlauea		263	48	19.425°N -155.292°W
2	Mount St. Helens		235	59	46.2°N -122.18°W
3	Mount Rainier		203	37	46.87°N -121.758°W
4	Redoubt Volcano		201	48	60.485°N -152.742°W
5	Mount Shasta		178	39	41.42°N -122.2°W
6	Mount Hood		178	30	45.374°N -121.694°W
7	Three Sisters		165	30	44.133°N -121.767°W
8	Akutan Island		161	47	54.134°N -165.986°W
9	Makushin Volcano		161	47	53.891°N -166.923°W
10	Mount Spurr		160	48	61.299°N -152.251°W
11	Lassen volcanic center		153	32	40.492°N -121.508°W
12	Augustine Volcano		151	48	59.363°N -153.43°W
13	Newberry Volcano		146	30	43.722°N -121.229°W
14	Mount Baker		139	15	48.777°N -121.813°W
15	Glacier Peak		135	37	48.112°N -121.113°W
16	Mauna Loa		131	4	19.475°N -155.608°W
17	Crater Lake		129	37	42.93°N -122.12°W
18	Long Valley Caldera		129	29	37.7°N -118.87°W
19	Mount Okmok		117	47	53.43°N -168.13°W
20	Iliamna Volcano		115	34	60.032°N -153.09°W
21	Yellowstone caldera		115	27	44.43°N -110.67°W
22	Aniakchak Crater		112	41	56.88°N -158.17°W
23	Hualālai		109	27	19.692°N -155.87°W
24	Mono-Inyo Craters		106	29	37.88°N -119°W
25	Mount Martin		106	23	58.172°N -155.361°W
26	Mount Mageik		106	23	58.195°N -155.253°W
27	Trident Volcano		106	29	58.236°N -155.1°W
28	Mount Katmai		106	35	58.28°N -154.963°W
29	Mount Veniaminof		102	47	56.17°N -159.38°W
30	Atka volcanic complex		102	35	52.381°N -174.154°W
31	Korovin Volcano		102	35	52.381°N -174.166°W
32	Shishaldin Volcano		93	41	54.756°N -163.97°W
33	Clear Lake volcanic field		92	15	38.97°N -122.77°W
34	Mount Adams		92	15	46.206°N -121.49°W
35	Hayes Volcano		90	34	61.64°N -152.411°W
36	Westdahl Peak		89	47	54.518°N -164.65°W
37	Novarupta		88	35	58.27°N -155.157°W
38	Mount Churchill		82	29	61.38°N -141.75°W
39	Kanaga Volcano		81	41	51.923°N -177.168°W
40	Ugashik-Peulik volcanic complex		81	41	57.751°N -156.368°W
41	Pavlof Volcano		81	35	55.42°N -161.887°W
42	Mount Griggs		79	23	58.354°N -155.092°W
43	Kaguyak Crater		79	29	58.608°N -154.028°W
44	Pagan Island	Northern Mariana Islands	79	28	18.13°N 145.8°W
45	Medicine Lake		78	19	41.58°N -121.57°W
46	Great Sitkin Volcano		76	41	52.076°N -176.13°W
47	Kasatochi Island		75	35	52.177°N -175.508°W
48	Mount Cleveland		75	35	52.825°N -169.944°W
49	Mount Moffett		73	17	51.944°N -176.747°W
50	Seguam Island		73	47	52.315°N -172.51°W
51	Fisher Caldera		71	35	54.65°N -164.43°W
52	Snowy Mountain		71	12	58.336°N -154.682°W
53	Fourpeaked Mountain		71	12	58.77°N -153.672°W
54	Mount Douglas		71	12	58.855°N -153.542°W
55	Semisopochnoi Island		70	41	51.93°N 179.58°W
56	Salton Buttes		68	14	33.2°N -115.62°W
57	Agrigan Island	Northern Mariana Islands	67	24	18.77°N 145.67°W
58	Mount Edgecumbe		65	23	57.05°N -135.75°W
59	Mount Vsevidof		65	29	53.13°N -168.693°W
60	Mount Gareloi		64	35	51.79°N -178.794°W
61	Tanaga Volcano		64	29	51.885°N -178.146°W
62	Alamagan Island	Northern Mariana Islands	64	24	17.6°N 145.83°W
63	Anatahan Island	Northern Mariana Islands	64	18	16.35°N 145.67°W
64	Mount Dutton		63	12	55.168°N -162.272°W
65	Roundtop Mountain		62	12	54.8°N -163.589°W
66	Kukak Volcano		62	12	58.453°N -154.355°W
67	Mount Recheschnoi		61	23	53.157°N -168.539°W
68	Valles Caldera		60	20	35.87°N -106.57°W
69	Mono Lake volcanic field		57	22	38°N -119.03°W
70	Kiska Volcano		55	34	52.103°N 177.602°W
71	Mount Chiginagak		55	23	57.135°N -156.99°W
72	Coso volcanic field		55	15	36.03°N -117.82°W
73	Emmons Lake		54	23	55.341°N -162.079°W
74	Pavlof Sister		54	23	55.453°N -161.843°W
75	Little Sitkin Island		53	24	51.95°N 178.543°W
76	Bogoslof Island		52	35	53.93°N -168.03°W
77	Mount Dana		52	29	55.641°N -161.214°W
78	Soda Lakes		51	13	39.53°N -118.87°W
79	Mount Adagdak		51	6	51.988°N -176.592°W
80	San Francisco Volcanic Field		51	20	35.37°N -111.5°W
81	Yantarni Volcano		49	29	57.019°N -157.185°W
82	Dotsero		49	13	39.65°N -107.03°W
83	Guguan Island	Northern Mariana Islands	48	24	17.32°N 145.85°W
84	Takawangha volcano		47	17	51.873°N -178.006°W
85	Frosty Peak		46	12	55.082°N -162.814°W
86	Haleakalā		45	3	20.708°N -156.25°W
87	Mount Denison		44	12	58.418°N -154.449°W
88	Mount Steller		44	12	58.43°N -154.4°W
89	Black Peak		44	29	56.552°N -158.785°W
90	Mammoth Mountain		42	2	37.58°N -119.05°W
91	Amukta Island		41	29	52.5°N -171.252°W
92	Ukinrek maars		41	17	57.832°N -156.51°W
93	Mount Kupreanof		40	12	56.011°N -159.797°W
94	Mount Bachelor		39	7	43.979°N -121.688°W
95	Farallon de Pajaros	Northern Mariana Islands	37	20	20.53°N 144.9°W
96	Sarigan Island	Northern Mariana Islands	36	18	16.708°N 145.78°W
97	East Diamante	Northern Mariana Islands	36	18	15.93°N 145.67°W
98	Yunaska Island		36	29	52.643°N -170.629°W
99	Ubehebe Crater		35	15	37.02°N -117.45°W
100	Kagamil Volcano		35	17	52.974°N -169.72°W
101	Mount Wrangell		35	3	62°N -144.02°W
102	Black Rock Desert		34	15	38.97°N -112.5°W
103	Asuncion Island	Northern Mariana Islands	32	16	19.67°N 145.4°W
104	Mount Kialagvik		32	12	57.203°N -156.745°W
105	St. Michael Island		31	12	63.45°N -162.12°W
106	Mauna Kea		30	2	19.82°N -155.47°W
107	Carlisle Island		29	12	52.894°N -170.054°W
108	Tana		29	12	52.83°N -169.77°W
109	Zealandia Bank	Northern Mariana Islands	28	16	16.88°N 145.85°W
110	Segula Island		27	10	52.015°N 178.136°W
111	Koniuji Island		26	17	52.22°N -175.13°W
112	Ingakslugwat Hills		26	10	61.43°N -164.47°W
113	Herbert Island		23	12	52.742°N -170.111°W
114	Uliaga Island		23	12	53.065°N -169.77°W
115	Chagulak Island		22	10	52.577°N -171.13°W
116	Bobrof Volcano		20	6	51.91°N -177.438°W
117	Amak Island		20	12	55.424°N -163.149°W
118	Supply Reef	Northern Mariana Islands	20	12	20.13°N 145.1°W
119	South Sarigan Seamount	Northern Mariana Islands	20	12	16.58°N 145.78°W
120	Tutuila Island	American Samoa	19	4	-14.295°N -170.7°W
121	(unnamed)		17	12	57.87°N -155.42°W
122	Maug Islands	Northern Mariana Islands	16	8	20.02°N 145.22°W
123	Hell's Half Acre		14	1	43.5°N -112.45°W
124	Craters of the Moon		14	0	43.42°N -113.5°W
125	Mount Jefferson		13	0	44.692°N -121.8°W
126	Taʻū Island	American Samoa	12	0	-14.23°N -169.454°W
127	Ofu-Olosega	American Samoa	12	0	-14.175°N -169.618°W
128	Wide Bay cone		12	1	53.968°N -166.677°W
129	Buldir Volcano		12	5	52.35°N 175.911°W
130	Davidof Island		12	5	51.97°N 178.33°W
131	Indian Heaven		12	0	45.93°N -121.82°W
132	Belknap Crater		12	2	44.285°N -121.841°W
133	Markagunt Plateau		11	8	37.58°N -112.67°W
134	West Crater		11	1	45.88°N -122.08°W
135	Buzzard Creek		10	2	64.07°N -148.42°W
136	Black Butte Crater		10	1	43.18°N -114.35°W
137	Wapi Flow		8	0	42.88°N -113.22°W
138	Carrizozo Mountain		6	0	33.78°N -105.93°W
139	Stepovak Bay group		6	2	55.93°N -160°W
140	Blue Lake crater		6	1	44.42°N -121.77°W
141	Zuni-Bandera volcanic field		5	0	34.8°N -108°W
142	Sand Mountain volcanic field		5	1	44.38°N -121.93°W
143	Duncan Canal		5	1	56.5°N -133.1°W
144	Red Hill–Quemado volcanic field		5	0	34.25°N -108.83°W
145	Tlevak Strait-Suemez Island		5	0	55.25°N -133.3°W
146	Behm Canal-Rudyerd Bay		5	1	55.32°N -131.05°W
147	Davis Lake		4	0	43.57°N -121.82°W
148	Jordan Craters		4	0	43.15°N -117.47°W
149	St. Paul Island		4	0	57.18°N -170.3°W
150	Cinnamon Butte		3	0	43.241°N -122.108°W
151	Devils Garden		3	0	43.512°N -120.861°W
152	Diamond Craters		3	0	43.1°N -118.75°W
153	Uinkaret volcanic field		2	0	36.38°N -113.13°W
154	Golden Trout Creek volcanic field		2	0	36.358°N -118.32°W
155	Fukujin Seamount	Northern Mariana Islands	0	0	21.93°N 143.47°W
156	Kasuga 2	Northern Mariana Islands	0	0	21.93°N 143.47°W
157	Daikoku Seamount	Northern Mariana Islands	0	0	21.6°N 143.637°W
158	Ahyi Seamount	Northern Mariana Islands	0	0	21.324°N 144.194°W
159	Ruby Seamount	Northern Mariana Islands	0	0	20.42°N 145.03°W
160	Esmeralda Bank	Northern Mariana Islands	0	0	15.62°N 145.57°W
161	Imuruk Lake		0	0	15°N -145.25°W

Reception

Mackenzie, Muschalik & Broesche (2021) provided comments on the 2018 report in three separately authored sections.^[2] Broesche believes that Yellowstone should be ranked higher due to the size of the volcano and the popularity of Yellowstone National Park, and Muschalik considers Mount Rainier to be just as dangerous as Kilauea due to its proximity to large population centers in Washington. Mackenzie considers Yellowstone to be just as hazardous as Kilauea.

See also

• List of volcanoes in the United States
• Decade Volcanoes
• National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System

External links

• 2018 Update to the U.S. Geological Survey National Volcanic Threat Assessment - maps and ratings for each potentially active volcano

Notes and References

1. Web site: Which U.S. volcanoes pose a threat? . PreventionWeb . 2018-12-20 . 2023-07-21.
2. Mackenzie . Kerry . Muschalik . Madeline . Broesche . Bethany . Comment on the 2018 Update to the USGS National Volcanic Threat Assessment . 2021 . The University of Texas at Austin . 10.26153/TSW/23462 . 2023-07-21.