Alaska Volcano Observatory facts for kids
Alaska Volcano Observatory
|
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| Website | http://www.avo.alaska.edu/ |
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) is a special group that watches over volcanoes in Alaska. It was started in 1988. AVO is a team effort between the United States Geological Survey (a U.S. government science agency), the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the State of Alaska's geological survey.
Watching Alaska's Volcanoes
AVO uses money and help from the government and universities. Their main job is to keep an eye on Alaska's active and dangerous volcanoes. They study them to understand how they work. AVO also tries to guess when a volcano might erupt. This helps them record eruptions and keep people safe. They work to reduce dangers to people and property from volcanoes.
You can even watch active volcanoes yourself on AVO's website! They have live seismographs (which measure ground shaking) and webcameras. These tools update regularly. AVO now watches more than 20 volcanoes. Many of these are in Cook Inlet, which is close to where many Alaskans live. They also watch volcanoes in the Aleutian Arc. This is because ash clouds from eruptions can be very dangerous for airplanes flying overhead.
AVO's main office is in Anchorage. It is located on the campus of Alaska Pacific University.
See also
In Spanish: Observatorio Vulcanológico de Alaska para niños
