When Mount Shasta begins to show signs of renewed activity, people living in its shadow will want to know whether an eruption might be dangerous and how volcanic activity could affect their family, home, work, and community. Unfortunately, we cannot anticipate or predict the exact sequence or size of events that will take place during the next eruption. But we can forecast the types of future activity most likely to occur from Mount Shasta and determine whether such activity represents a danger to people, nearby communities and businesses, and the public infrastructure. For people living in Mount Shasta City, shown above, and other nearby communities a forecast of the types of activity and where their effects might occur can help them reduce their risks from the next eruption.

Like detectives trying to solve a crime, we analyze whether or not a volcano is potentially dangerous by looking for evidence left behind by past eruptions: rock deposits scattered across the landscape, in river valleys, and on the volcano itself. By assuming that a volcano's future eruptive style is most likely to be similar to its past activity, we can forecast the future by discovering the volcano's history.

"Just as our past behavior and actions help to define who we are and how we might act in the future, the past eruption history of Mount Shasta is the best way we can estimate the type and size of eruptions that are most likely to occur in the future."

Follow geologists Bob Christiansen and Dan Miller, both by air and on the ground, and discover evidence that will help you determine whether Mount Shasta is a dangerous volcano.

URL of this page: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Hazards/Where/ShastaDanger/ ShastaDanger.html