Using Global Volcanism Program and Mineral Sciences Collections to Illustrate Volcanic History

The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP) and Department of Mineral Sciences (DMS) hold extensive collections of photographs, films, maps, and samples (the National Rock and Ore Collection). These collections provide an excellent resource for examining volcanic eruptions and teaching diverse audiences about volcanic processes. GVP has recently digitized its map collection, making georeferenced historical maps of volcanic areas available with information from before online satellite imagery became easily accessible. Historical photographs are invaluable observations of past events. These images instantly convey the power and impacts of eruptions, and how landscapes have changed through time. For most eruptions, samples provide our only record of volcanic activity - that is, for eruptions that lack instrumented or written records, only rocks reveal how such eruptions progressed. Importantly, however, any given sample is only as valuable as its metadata; for example, a sample of basalt with collection time and location documented to the minute and meter has incredible utility for unraveling eruption processes, whereas the same sample lacking those metadata is scientifically nearly useless. To illustrate these different resources and their use in education and outreach, we discuss maps, photographs, and samples from previous eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa as well as links between GVP and the Rock and Ore Collection.