How much sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas does Kīlauea emit?
Kīlauea typically emits between 500 and 14,000 metric tons of sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) per day during periods of sustained eruption.
During the 2018 eruption at Kīlauea’s Lower East Rift Zone, SO2 emissions were over 100,000 metric tons per day, in keeping with the increased vigor of that eruption. Methods for calculating emission rates for SO2 can be complicated and challenging in the high-rate conditions that existed at that time. Extremely high SO2 levels can saturate instruments, and accurate wind speed--which is critical in calculations--is sometimes difficult to obtain.
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Does vog (volcanic smog) impact plants and animals?
What gases are emitted by Kīlauea and other active volcanoes?
Who monitors volcanic gases emitted by Kīlauea and how is it done?
Where and how do sulfur dioxide and volcanic gases (vog) affect air quality in Hawaii?
Should I cancel my plans to visit to Hawai`i Island because of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and vog?
What health hazards are posed by vog (volcanic smog)?
What is "vog"? How is it related to sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions?
Does ash ever erupt from Kīlauea Volcano?
Do earthquakes large enough to collapse buildings and roads accompany volcanic eruptions?
Why is it important to monitor volcanoes?
Is it dangerous to work on volcanoes? What precautions do scientists take?
Kīlauea Volcano Erupts
Today's update for June 21st, 2018 will be the last of the daily updates on this USGS feature story. We encourage you to keep checking the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) Kīlauea status website for daily activity updates. You can also visit the USGS Facebook page and the USGS Twitter feed as updates become available. For press inquiries, please email volcanomedia@usgs.gov.
EarthWord–Vog
Just like smog and fog, this EarthWord is not what you want to see while driving...
Living with Vog on an Active Volcano: New Resources
New informational products about the health hazards of volcanic air pollution known as “vog,” are available through a new interagency partnership.
EarthWord: Fumarole
Fumaroles are openings in the earth’s surface that emit steam and volcanic gases, such as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. They can occur as holes, cracks, or fissures near active volcanoes or in areas where magma has risen into the earth’s crust without erupting. A fumarole can vent for centuries or quickly go extinct, depending on the longevity of its heat source.
New Study Looks at How People Cope with Vog
A new study to examine how people who live downwind of Kīlauea Volcano cope with volcanic gas emissions, or vog, is currently underway.
Kilauea’s Volcanic Gases and Their Environmental Impacts
U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists Jeff Sutton and Tamar Elias will update information on Kīlauea Volcano’s gas emissions and associated environmental impacts. Their presentation will be at the park’s Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Park entrance fees apply.
Hazardous Sulfur Dioxide Concentrations Measured at Kilauea Volcano
Today, HVO scientists measured concentrations greater than 10 ppm in a broad area adjacent to Halema‘uma‘u crater. Sulfur Dioxide gas is persistently emitted at Kîlauea's summit. Typical concentrations are generally negligible except for areas downwind of Halema‘uma‘u crater, where they can get up to 2.5 ppm (parts-per-million) in narrow zones.
PubTalk 8/2018 — What on Earth is going on at Kilauea Volcano?
Title: What on Earth is going on at Kilauea Volcano?
- First significant summit explosions in nearly a century
- Largest summit collapse volume since at least 1800
- Voluminous fissure eruptions feeding channelized lava flow
- Unparalleled new opportunities for understanding the volcanic system
USGS HVO geochemist measuring gases released from Kīlauea Volcano
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geochemist measuring gases released from Kïlauea with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, an instrument that detects gas compositions on the basis of absorbed infrared light. The data obtained from FTIR measurements have been useful in identifying the many components of volcanic-gas emissions, which provide information on the
...Gas plume from Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, Kilauea Volcano
With stagnant winds present, the plume from Halema`uma`u Crater at the summit of Kilauea Volcano, stands straight up, showing off the distant, but bright, full moon.
Fumarole on Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi
Fumarole on Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi. Elemental sulfur vapor escaping from the fumarole has cooled to form yellow-colored crystals around its margins. Credit: Robert L. Christiansen.
Monitoring Volcanic Gases on Kilauea's East Rift Zone II
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Geochemist Jeff Sutton and CSAV international volcanology students visit a continuous gas monitoring site on Kilauea's east rift zone during field studies portion of the summer training course. Instrumentation at this site measures ambient concentration of noxious sulfur dioxide gas released from the volcano's vents, along with
...Monitoring Volcanic Gases on Kilauea's East Rift Zone
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Geochemist Jeff Sutton and CSAV international volcanology students visit a continuous gas monitoring site on Kilauea's east rift zone during field studies portion of the summer training course. Instrumentation at this site measures ambient concentration of noxious sulfur dioxide gas released from the volcano's vents, along with meteorological
...Volcano Hazards
The United States has 169 active volcanoes. More than half of them could erupt explosively, sending ash up to 20,000 or 30,000 feet where commercial air traffic flies. USGS scientists are working to improve our understanding of volcano hazards to help protect communities and reduce the risks.
Video Sections:
- Volcanoes: Monitoring Volcanoes
The Air We Breathe…It’s a Gas!
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air. Most adults take around 29,000 breaths a day, children breathe a little faster; but what is in this air we breathe? What are the gases in the air? How much of each gas is there? Do these gases have different weights? How cold are liquid nitrogen and dry ice, and where did those names come from? Come join us to explore these
Sulfur Crystals
A beautiful example of sulfur crystals that have grown around a small fumarole near the southeast rim of Halema`uma`u crater. The vent is about 0.3 m (1 foot) long.
Halema'uma'u Gas Plume Variations (November 17, 2008)
The erupting vent within Halema'uma'u Crater at Kilauea's summit (see http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/timeline/ for links describing eruptive activity at the summit of Kilauea Volcano) typically produces a white to gray gas plume dominated by steam. While ashy plumes released by collapses and explosive events are
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Monitors Kilauea's Summit Eruption
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (foreground) is located on the caldera rim of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'ithe most active volcano in the world. The observatory's location provides an excellent view of summit eruptive activity, which began in 2008.