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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea and Mauna Loa work

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory June 1, 2023

The Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project continues, as does the annual Mauna Loa GPS campaign.

May 26, 2023 —  Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project

Color photograph of truck
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Vibroseis truck operating on Hilina Pali Road in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 26, 2023. Throughout the month of May, the truck was generating seismic signals that will help to provide a new detailed view of shallow subsurface structures and the magma system beneath Kīlauea volcano’s summit. More information about the project is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/supplemental-appropriations-for-disaster-recovery-…. NPS Photo/J.Wei.
Color photograph of truck
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The Vibroseis truck operating on Hilina Pali Road in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 26, 2023. The vehicle belongs to the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental facility at the University of Texas at Austin, which is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation. The truck was brought to Hawaii as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project, funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157) and the National Science Foundation. NPS Photo/J.Wei.

May 26, 2023 —  Mauna Loa GPS campaign survey

Color photograph of tripod in field
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Another GPS survey benchmark being occupied on Mauna Loa. The metal disk on the ground beneath the tripod is the benchmark, which is cemented to the lava flow surface. Each year, the high-precision GPS unit is centered on the benchmark, and the height of the GPS unit on the tripod is accounted for when calculating how much that spot has moved vertically and horizontally over the past year. Mauna Loa summit cabin is visible in the background. USGS photo by A. Ellis.
Color photograph of tripod in field
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicists continue performing the annual GPS survey of Mauna Loa. Most Mauna Loa GPS campaign survey sites have been occupied every year since the early 1990s, whereas less active volcanoes Hualālai and Haleakalā are surveyed every 3–5 years.

During the annual Mauna Loa GPS campaign, scientists temporarily deploy a number of GPS instruments at established benchmarks; their recorded positions can be compared with those from previous years to discern subtle patterns of ground deformation associated with volcanic activity. These data augment the permanent, continuously recording GPS instruments in HVO's monitoring network. In this photo, a survey tripod is established over a benchmark near the summit of Mauna Loa. USGS image by A. Ellis.

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