[EAS] Volcano Warning - the unused event code

[Ted Langdell]

There are some significant volcanic risks in California.  Eruptions can affect areas much larger than the immediate eruption area because of ash and debris. That can affect air and motorway travel, electrical power and other things we depend on, daily. 

Adrienne mentioned the Long Valley caldera in Mono County. 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Valley_Caldera

Mount Lassen in northern California has erupted within the last hundred years, beginning in 1914 and ending in 1921.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassen_Peak

Lassen is the southernmost volcano in the Cascades, which include Mount Shasta, about 80 miles north, Mt. Hood in Oregon and Rainer in Washington states.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Shasta

These are two of three California Volcanoes that are in the top 18 on the most recent Federal Volcano Threat List. 

These were outlined in a 2018 LA Times article about the updated list (with link to the list.)

Electrical power, airline and motorway travel, air quality and a number of other things we depend on could be affected by eruptions, according to the article.

"There have been 10_eruptions in California over the last 1,000 years, and in any given year the chance of a major volcanic eruption in the state is about the same as the risk of a major earthquake on the San Andreas fault.

Some of California's most scenic wilderness spots--and National Parks--are threatened by volcanic activity. More than 190,000 Californians live within a volcano hazard zone; among them are people who live or work in the Long Valley region, home to Mammoth Lakes, a favorite destination of skiers from Southern California, and areas in the shadow of Mt. Shasta, such as the towns of Mount Shasta and Weed. Those cities are close enough to volcanoes that they may be in harm's way in the next eruption."

Details here:
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-volcano-california-20181025-story.html?_amp=true

More about California's volcanoes here. 
volcanoes_in_california_-_Google_Search

In Nevada, The Soda Lakes is the only volcano in Nevada currently listed on the USGS Volcano_Hazards_Program. It was added in 2018 with an initial assessment as a moderate threat potential. 

These are two lakes located northwest of Fallon,_Nevada. They occupy two basaltic maar volcano craters which may have erupted in the last 1500 years. 

Since the volcano's age was inferred to be younger than local Lake Lahontan sediments, that qualified as eruptive activity within the Holocene for inclusion on the list.[5][9] It is monitored by the USGS California_Volcano_Observatory, which includes Nevada in its region.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_Lakes

Ted

Ted Langdell

(530) 301-2931
Tedlangdell at gmail.com

>On Sep 29, 2021, at 9:59 AM, Adrienne Abbott nevadaeas at charter.net> wrote:

>Sean--
>Yes, VOW is on the Nevada list of Event Codes likely to be used in the
>state. The potential for volcanic activity is constant here in the West.
>While most western volcanoes are currently dormant, Nevada's volcanoes are
>on that USGS list as "potentially active", which means we'd be foolish to
>ignore the potential of a Mt. St. Helens situation. In addition, we would be
>the "resource area" for the eastern Sierra's Long Valley Caldera if it or
>any of its sisters blew, something the USGS volcanologists assure us could
>happen at any time.

>There is almost daily volcanic activity in Alaska and Hawai'i. Most of the
>time, these volcanoes expend their energy seismically, as earthquakes, with
>the potential for Tsunamis, at the Watch or Warning level. And there's the
>occasional lava flow, which we saw earlier this year on Hilo. It remains up
>to the vulcanologists at USGS and state/local emergency officials to decide
>whether and when that activity reaches the level for an EAS activation and
>the appropriate Event Code to use. But I can assure you that most emergency
>officials here in the West are aware of the VOW Event Code.   

>Adrienne Abbott, W6BCY
>Nevada EAS Chair

>-----Original Message-----
>From: EAS On Behalf Of Sean Donelan

>VOW, Volcano Warning, is the only event code never used in IPAWS.  Not even
>by accident, which explains the other rarely used event codes.

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