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John Cletheroe's
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A chain of volcanoes extends along the Cascades in northern California, Oregon and Washington State.
In 1980 Mount St Helens in southern Washington State erupted, causing widespread destruction. The main eruption was signalled by a series of minor eruptions for a few days beforehand, allowing most people to be evacuated.
There is currently some debate as to whether Mount Rainier in Washington State is now extinct or merely dormant.
Crater Lake in Oregon was formed by a volcanic eruption thought to have taken place about 7800 years ago. The volcano is now extinct.
A large area of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming was formed by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. The geothermal features of the park are a consequence of this eruption. Of late there have been some pseudo-science predictions that the entire Yellowstone area could erupt on a massive scale but this is complete nonsense.
It is possible to drive up to the top of an extinct volcano at Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico and to walk down inside the crater.
It is also possible to drive up the rather smaller Pilot Butte, another extinct volcano, located in a state park close to town of Bend in Oregon.
There are a number of huge volcanoes on Hawaii.
Underwater volcanic eruptions may cause tsunami (tidal waves).
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Most recently modified 12-Mar-04