Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021

Within an hour of the Kīlauea summit eruption starting on December 20, 2020, HVO's permanent seismic network detected a signal called volcanic tremor. This tremor signal has been continuous since that time, creating an uninterrupted signal that travels through the subsurface as magma degasses and erupts from vents to fill a lava lake at the summit.  This photo shows a an HVO field crew member setting up a temporary seismic instrument, with permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, that will help better understand how magma is moving beneath the surface at Kīlauea summit. USGS image by P. Dotray.