[Parmy]

Well, they were studying Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Guess what? It blew anyway and inundated much of Washington in ash and ground up aggregate.

So, how much good will all of this do? When Mother Nature blows her top, humans are insignificant.

[Paul R.]

So, how much good will all of this do?

We can't stop hurricanes either, but just think of how many fewer people die from them now, compared to 100 - 200 years ago, despite many more people living in harm's way, today. This comes from understanding (study) and ability to get warnings out, have time to get people "out", etc.

Our understanding of volcanoes and earthquakes is likely at a stage similar to what we knew about hurricanes a hundred, maybe 200 years ago. So, we have a lot to learn. Once we do learn more, we'll still be powerless (or foolish) to stop or mitigate them, most likely, but we will know better how to save lives.