Volcanic eruptions are among Earth's most spectacular surface phenomena. However, attempts to understand their basic physics face the challenge that the key processes occur at great depth and are difficult to observe. Thus volcanologists have been interested for years in using ground deformation measurements to study active volcanoes and predict their behavior during extended volcanic crises, such as the dramatic six weeks in 1980 between the initial and major eruptions of Mt. Saint Helens.
The advent of new technologies in recent years—in particular the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (INSAR)—has shown potential for significant advances in volcano studies. Progress in this direction was explored at a conference organized by the University Navstar Consortium (UNAVCO) on September 15–17, 1999, with financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The meeting aimed to assess the status of various geodetic technologies and their potential to address crucial scientific and social needs in volcanic science and monitoring, as well as to develop recommendations on ways to spur further progress in these areas.