Glossary of Key Terms
Axial Seamount: A massive undersea volcano located approximately 300 miles off the coast of Oregon.
Bering Strait: A strait of the Pacific, which separates Russia and the United States slightly south of the Arctic Circle.
Dormant Volcano: A volcano that is not currently erupting but is expected to erupt again.
Earthquake Swarm: A cluster of earthquakes occurring in the same area in rapid succession.
Great Sitkin Volcano: A volcano in Alaska that has been slowly oozing lava for years.
Magnitude (Earthquake): A measure of the energy released during an earthquake.
Mount Iliamna: A volcano in Alaska that has shown recent seismic swarms.
Mount Rainier: A large active stratovolcano in Washington State, part of the Cascade Range.
Mount Spurr: A volcano in Alaska, dormant since 1992, showing increased seismic activity and ground deformation.
Pacific "Ring of Fire": A horseshoe-shaped string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity around the edges of the Pacific Ocean, where roughly 90% of all earthquakes and 75% of active volcanoes are located.
Seismic Activity: Refers to the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes over a period of time in a specific region.
Seismologists: Scientists who study earthquakes and seismic waves.
Shumagin Islands: An island group in the Aleutian Chain, off the southern coast of the Alaska Peninsula.
Solar Plasma: Superheated, ionized gas that makes up most of the Sun.
Tsunami Warning: An alert issued when a large earthquake or other event has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami.
USGS (U.S. Geological Survey): A scientific agency of the United States government that studies the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it.
Volcanic Eruption: The process by which magma, gases, and pyroclastic material are expelled from a volcano.
