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Predicting Volcanic Eruptions
by Leslie Whitaker

Scientists who study volcanic eruptions are called volcanologists. This is an interdisciplinary field which requires college education and graduate training in the fields of geology, oceanography, meteorology, and geophysics. About 500 U.S. universities offer bachelor’s degrees in earth science fields. Several offer the graduate degrees needed, but only a few specialize in volcanology. Volcanologists work as professors at universities or for the government (e.g., U. S. Geological Survey or the California Division of Mines and Geology).

Volcanologists try to predict when a volcanic eruption is going to occur. They can then warn people on the ground or aircraft to avoid the area. The bare truth is that no one can predict an eruption very far in advance. However, there are signs which tell us when an eruption is becoming more likely. Volcanologists study the signs that magma is on the move underground. This is often signaled by earthquakes and, when the magma begins to rise, by a bulge or a tilt in the surface of the volcanic mountain itself. The bulge on Mount St. Helens was six stories high before it erupted in the huge explosion of May 18, 1980.

Predicting eruptions is not an exact science, but Volcanologists are learning more with each new occurrence.

Introduction - Magma, Lava, and Mountain Formation - Predicting Volcanoes - Tectonic Plates - Mt. St Helens - Mount St. Helens Recovery - Volcanoes: Good, Bad or Both