USGS Volcanic Activity Tracker - Free Volcano Monitoring API

Free API for USGS volcano monitoring and eruption alerts. No subscription required. Track active volcanoes, alert levels, locations, recent activity. Government data, pay-per-use.

Features

• Global Volcano Monitoring — Real-time volcanic activity from USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP)
• Alert Level Filtering — Get volcanoes by alert level (NORMAL, ADVISORY, WARNING, CRITICAL)
• Country-Specific Tracking — Filter by country (US, Ecuador, Philippines, Indonesia, etc.)
• Real-Time Updates — Data updated daily from USGS monitoring networks
• Location Data — Latitude, longitude, elevation for all tracked volcanoes
• Multi-Country Coverage — Monitor volcanoes globally from 80+ countries
• No Setup Required — Zero authentication needed, instant access to USGS data

Data Sources

• USGS Volcano API — https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/api/volcanoApi/ (Public Domain)
  • 1,300+ active and monitored volcanoes
  • Real-time alert levels
  • Updated daily by USGS scientists
  • Data from USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP)

The USGS Volcano Science Center monitors volcanoes globally and shares data via public API.

Input

Field	Type	Description	Default
country	string	Filter by country (e.g., "United States", "Indonesia", "Japan")	"US"
alertLevel	string	Filter by alert level ("NORMAL", "ADVISORY", "WARNING", "CRITICAL")	null
limit	number	Max results to return	10

Alert Levels Explained

Level	Description	Action
NORMAL	Volcano quiet, background or below-background seismicity	Monitor routinely
ADVISORY	Volcano showing elevated unrest; small possibility of eruption	Prepare contingency plans
WARNING	Volcano erupting or imminent eruption; hazardous conditions likely	Activate emergency response
CRITICAL	Hazardous eruption in progress or imminent; ashfall possible	Immediate evacuations

Example Inputs

Monitor US volcanoes only:

{
    "country": "United States",
    "limit": 20
}

Get critical volcanoes globally:

{
    "country": "United States",
    "alertLevel": "CRITICAL",
    "limit": 100
}

Monitor Indonesian volcanoes:

{
    "country": "Indonesia",
    "limit": 50
}

Output

The actor pushes results to the default dataset. Each entry contains:

Field	Type	Description
volcanoName	string	Official volcano name (USGS nomenclature)
country	string	Country where volcano is located
latitude	number	Geographic latitude (WGS84)
longitude	number	Geographic longitude (WGS84)
elevation	number	Summit elevation in meters
alertLevel	string	Current alert level (NORMAL, ADVISORY, WARNING, CRITICAL)
lastUpdate	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of last USGS update

Example Output

[
  {
    "volcanoName": "Mount Rainier",
    "country": "United States",
    "latitude": 46.8523,
    "longitude": -121.7603,
    "elevation": 4392,
    "alertLevel": "NORMAL",
    "lastUpdate": "2024-01-15T12:00:00Z"
  },
  {
    "volcanoName": "Mount St. Helens",
    "country": "United States",
    "latitude": 46.2019,
    "longitude": -122.1813,
    "elevation": 2549,
    "alertLevel": "NORMAL",
    "lastUpdate": "2024-01-15T12:00:00Z"
  }
]

Usage

JavaScript / Node.js Example

const Apify = require('apify');

// Monitor US volcanoes with WARNING or higher
const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
    country: 'United States',
    alertLevel: 'WARNING',
    limit: 20
});

const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
const { items } = await dataset.getData();

items.forEach(volcano => {
    console.log(`${volcano.volcanoName}: ${volcano.alertLevel}`);
    console.log(`  Coordinates: ${volcano.latitude}, ${volcano.longitude}`);
    console.log(`  Elevation: ${volcano.elevation}m`);
    console.log(`  Last update: ${volcano.lastUpdate}\n`);
});

Get Critical Volcanoes Globally

const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
    alertLevel: 'CRITICAL',
    limit: 50
});

const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
const { items } = await dataset.getData();

if (items.length > 0) {
    console.log(`CRITICAL volcanoes detected globally:`);
    items.forEach(v => {
        console.log(`  ${v.volcanoName} (${v.country})`);
    });
}

Monitor Indonesian Volcanoes

const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
    country: 'Indonesia',
    limit: 100
});

const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
const { items } = await dataset.getData();

console.log(`Active volcanoes in Indonesia: ${items.length}`);

const advisory = items.filter(v => v.alertLevel === 'ADVISORY');
const warning = items.filter(v => v.alertLevel === 'WARNING');
const critical = items.filter(v => v.alertLevel === 'CRITICAL');

console.log(`  ADVISORY: ${advisory.length}`);
console.log(`  WARNING: ${warning.length}`);
console.log(`  CRITICAL: ${critical.length}`);

Use Cases

1. Disaster Management

// Monitor volcanoes at WARNING level for emergency planning
async function checkVolcanicThreats() {
    const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
        alertLevel: 'WARNING',
        limit: 100
    });

    const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
    const { items } = await dataset.getData();

    for (const volcano of items) {
        // Trigger evacuation planning
        await initiateEmergencyResponse(volcano);
    }
}

2. Aviation Safety

// Check volcanic ash hazards for flight planning
async function checkAirspaceSafety(flightRoute) {
    const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
        alertLevel: 'ADVISORY',  // ADVISORY and above
        limit: 100
    });

    const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
    const { items } = await dataset.getData();

    // Calculate distance from flight route
    const nearbyVolcanoes = items.filter(v =>
        isNearRoute(v.latitude, v.longitude, flightRoute)
    );

    if (nearbyVolcanoes.length > 0) {
        console.log('WARNING: Volcanic hazard detected near route');
        return false;  // Do not clear for flight
    }
    return true;
}

3. Tourism & Travel Advisory

// Check volcano safety before recommending destinations
async function isSafeToVisit(country) {
    const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
        country: country,
        alertLevel: 'WARNING',
        limit: 50
    });

    const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
    const { items } = await dataset.getData();

    if (items.length > 0) {
        console.log(`Travel warning: ${items.length} volcanoes at WARNING level`);
        return false;
    }
    return true;
}

4. Insurance & Risk Assessment

// Assess volcanic risk for property insurance
async function assessVolcanicRisk(latitude, longitude) {
    const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
        limit: 1000  // Get all volcanoes
    });

    const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
    const { items } = await dataset.getData();

    // Calculate distance to nearest volcano
    let nearestVolcano = null;
    let minDistance = Infinity;

    items.forEach(volcano => {
        const dist = calculateDistance(
            latitude, longitude,
            volcano.latitude, volcano.longitude
        );

        if (dist < minDistance) {
            minDistance = dist;
            nearestVolcano = volcano;
        }
    });

    if (minDistance < 50) {  // Within 50 km
        return {
            risk: 'HIGH',
            volcano: nearestVolcano,
            distanceKm: minDistance
        };
    }
    return { risk: 'LOW' };
}

5. Climate & Research Monitoring

// Monitor volcanic activity for climate/stratospheric research
async function trackVolcanicEmissions() {
    const run = await Apify.call('ntriqpro/usgs-volcanic-activity-tracker', {
        alertLevel: 'ADVISORY',  // Active or elevated activity
        limit: 500
    });

    const dataset = await Apify.openDataset(run.defaultDatasetId);
    const { items } = await dataset.getData();

    // Store for SO2/ash tracking correlation
    await storeForAnalysis(items);

    // Alert if major eruption detected
    const warnings = items.filter(v => v.alertLevel === 'WARNING');
    if (warnings.length > 0) {
        await notifyScientists('Major volcanic activity detected', warnings);
    }
}

Supported Countries

The USGS monitors volcanoes in 80+ countries and territories. Common countries include:

Region	Countries
North America	United States, Canada, Mexico
Central America	Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
South America	Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina
Caribbean	Montserrat, St. Lucia, Dominica
Asia-Pacific	Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
Africa	Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo
Europe	Iceland, Italy (Sicily), Greece
Others	Russia, Vanuatu, Samoa

For a complete list: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/

Data Quality & Limitations

Accuracy

• Data updated daily from USGS monitoring networks
• Alert levels assigned by USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) scientists
• Coordinates are WGS84 geographic (latitude/longitude)
• Elevations in meters above sea level

Limitations

1. Not Real-Time — Updates typically once per day (1-2 hour delay possible)
2. Limited Volcanoes — Only 1,300+ monitored globally; many remote volcanoes not tracked
3. Alert Bias — Remote/low-population volcanoes may have NORMAL status despite activity
4. Funding Dependent — USGS monitoring dependent on federal funding
5. No Forecasting — Provides current state only; doesn't predict eruptions

For Critical Decisions

For aviation, evacuation, or public safety decisions:

1. Cross-check sources — Also check local volcanic institutes and government warnings
2. Monitor updates — Run this API daily or set up monitoring
3. Use with expert judgment — Combine with satellite imagery (NASA, ESA) and seismic data
4. Contact USGS — For urgent questions: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/

Pricing

Pay-per-event model:

• Per API call: $0.01
• No subscription required
• Only pay when you run queries

Example costs:

• Daily monitoring: ~$0.31/month (1 call/day)
• Hourly monitoring: ~$7.20/month (24 calls/day)
• Real-time system: Custom volume pricing

Legal

• USGS Data — Public Domain (US Government)
• No Warranty — Data provided "as-is" without warranty
• Attribution — Please credit "USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program"
• Compliance — No personal data collection, government open data only

Best Practices

1. Daily Monitoring — Set up daily checks for critical regions
2. Stakeholder Alerts — If WARNING or CRITICAL detected, notify relevant parties immediately
3. Historical Tracking — Log results over time to identify trends
4. Combine Sources — Cross-reference with seismic networks and local institutes
5. Expert Review — For anything affecting public safety, involve geological experts

External Resources

• USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/
• Smithsonian Institution GVP: https://volcano.si.edu/
• Real-time Seismic Data: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/
• NASA FIRMS (Thermal Alerts): https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/
• European Volcanological Society: https://www.cev-cveg.be/

Support

• USGS Volcano API: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/api/
• USGS Volcano Hazards: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/
• Contact: geology@ntriq.co.kr

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This actor is part of the ntriq Disaster Intelligence platform. Updated 2026-03.