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Observer examines boulder ejected from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea Volca...
Boulder ejected from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea, May 11, 1925
Boulder ejected from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea, May 11, 1925
Boulder ejected from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea, May 11, 1925

On May 11, Ruy Finch and W.O. Clark visited Halemaumau and found a rock fragment weighing about 180 kg (400 pounds) that had been thrown 60 meters (200 feet) from the rim of the crater.

One of the first explosion clouds from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea Volca...
First explosion clouds from Halemaumau, Kīlauea 1925
First explosion clouds from Halemaumau, Kīlauea 1925
First explosion clouds from Halemaumau, Kīlauea 1925

Later scientists at the Observatory listed May 10 as the first day of the eruptive series. Between this date and May 27, they carefully recorded all explosions, ballistic falls, electric storms, and muddy rains as well as earthquakes felt and recorded on seismographs.

Later scientists at the Observatory listed May 10 as the first day of the eruptive series. Between this date and May 27, they carefully recorded all explosions, ballistic falls, electric storms, and muddy rains as well as earthquakes felt and recorded on seismographs.

Dust cloud caused by the collapse of the Halemaumau crater floor at...
Dust cloud caused by the collapse of the Halemaumau crater floor at...
Dust cloud caused by the collapse of the Halemaumau crater floor at...
Dust cloud caused by the collapse of the Halemaumau crater floor at...

After the severe earthquake swarm in lower Puna subsided, seismic tremor became more pronounced at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The floor of the crater of Halemaumau continued to collapse.

Scientists looking into the bright glow of Mauna Loa's 1942 eruptiv...
Scientists looking into bright glow of Mauna Loa's 1942 eruptive ve...
Scientists looking into bright glow of Mauna Loa's 1942 eruptive ve...
Scientists looking into bright glow of Mauna Loa's 1942 eruptive ve...

Scientists looking into the bright glow of Mauna Loa's 1942 eruptive vent. Eruption occurred during WWII and was not publicized to prevent Japanese war planes from navigating to the island at night.

Earthquake damage on road at Kapoho, Hawai‘i. ...
Earthquake damage on road at Kapoho, Hawai‘i.
Earthquake damage on road at Kapoho, Hawai‘i.
Earthquake damage on road at Kapoho, Hawai‘i.

On April 22, an observer at the Kapoho railroad quarry counted 238 felt earthquakes over a period of four hours. By Sunday, April 27, things had calmed considerably at Kapoho, although a dozen shocks were felt during the day and half a dozen more overnight.

On April 22, an observer at the Kapoho railroad quarry counted 238 felt earthquakes over a period of four hours. By Sunday, April 27, things had calmed considerably at Kapoho, although a dozen shocks were felt during the day and half a dozen more overnight.

Railroad tracks buckled at fault boundary at Kapoho, Hawai‘i...
Railroad tracks buckled at fault boundary at Kapoho, Hawai‘i
Railroad tracks buckled at fault boundary at Kapoho, Hawai‘i
Railroad tracks buckled at fault boundary at Kapoho, Hawai‘i

These tracks were damaged by the vertical drop along the zone of cracks and faults that ran parallel to the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano. Witnesses reported that where the railroad entered the valley, the ties and rails were swinging like a suspension bridge for a distance of about 61 meters (200 feet).

These tracks were damaged by the vertical drop along the zone of cracks and faults that ran parallel to the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano. Witnesses reported that where the railroad entered the valley, the ties and rails were swinging like a suspension bridge for a distance of about 61 meters (200 feet).

Kapoho, Hawai‘i residents in lower Puna await evacuation during sei...
Kapoho, Hawai‘i residents in lower Puna await evacuation during sei...
Kapoho, Hawai‘i residents in lower Puna await evacuation during sei...
Kapoho, Hawai‘i residents in lower Puna await evacuation during sei...

By April 22, 1924, the incessant earthquakes caused many people to leave the district. When Hilo Tribune Herald reporter Jazz Belknap reached the Kapoho train station, he found a great crowd waiting for the autos that were hauling passengers out of the district.

By April 22, 1924, the incessant earthquakes caused many people to leave the district. When Hilo Tribune Herald reporter Jazz Belknap reached the Kapoho train station, he found a great crowd waiting for the autos that were hauling passengers out of the district.

Photograph of many steaming fumaroles on a broad plain surrounded by mountains
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Katmai, Alaska, circa 1922
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Katmai, Alaska, circa 1922
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Katmai, Alaska, circa 1922

Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Katmai National Park, circa 1922. Windy Creek is in the foreground. Following the June 6, 1912 eruption of Novarupta-Katmai, thousands of fumaroles filled the valley for many years. Buried snow fields, glacial streams, and precipitation were converted to steam by the heat trapped in the pyroclastic flow.

Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Katmai National Park, circa 1922. Windy Creek is in the foreground. Following the June 6, 1912 eruption of Novarupta-Katmai, thousands of fumaroles filled the valley for many years. Buried snow fields, glacial streams, and precipitation were converted to steam by the heat trapped in the pyroclastic flow.

black and white photo showing a 3-story home tilted to the right
1906 Earthquake Damage to Home in San Francisco
1906 Earthquake Damage to Home in San Francisco
1906 Earthquake Damage to Home in San Francisco

1906 earthquake damage to home on Howard and 17th Streets in San Francisco. Liquefaction, the phenomenon of saturated soils losing their stiffness and strength during shaking, caused structures to tilt and collapse.

1906 earthquake damage to home on Howard and 17th Streets in San Francisco. Liquefaction, the phenomenon of saturated soils losing their stiffness and strength during shaking, caused structures to tilt and collapse.

View from the sky of a city and its waterfront with various ships docked, and most buildings on land are ruined.
San Francisco in ruins, 1906
San Francisco in ruins, 1906
San Francisco in ruins, 1906

One of the most well-known photographs by George R. Lawrence, taken May 28, 1906, about 6 weeks after the Great San Francisco earthquake which occurred on April 18. The 160-degree panorama was taken from a camera suspended from a kite 2,000 feet in the air. The view looks up Market Street with the waterfront and Union Ferry Building in the foreground.

One of the most well-known photographs by George R. Lawrence, taken May 28, 1906, about 6 weeks after the Great San Francisco earthquake which occurred on April 18. The 160-degree panorama was taken from a camera suspended from a kite 2,000 feet in the air. The view looks up Market Street with the waterfront and Union Ferry Building in the foreground.

The origin of Nīnole Hills (location shown with orange oval, southe...
The origin of Nīnole Hills (location shown with orange oval, SEern ...
The origin of Nīnole Hills (location shown with orange oval, SEern ...
The origin of Nīnole Hills (location shown with orange oval, SEern ...

The older or original suggested location of this rift is shown with a blue dashed line. Black arrows show one possibility for the westward migration of the Nīnole Hills rift to the location of Mauna Loa's current Southwest Rift Zone (yellow dashed line). The South Kona Slump and ‘Ālika-1 and ‘Ālika-2 landslides are shown off the west coast of the island.

The older or original suggested location of this rift is shown with a blue dashed line. Black arrows show one possibility for the westward migration of the Nīnole Hills rift to the location of Mauna Loa's current Southwest Rift Zone (yellow dashed line). The South Kona Slump and ‘Ālika-1 and ‘Ālika-2 landslides are shown off the west coast of the island.

Landslides in the Western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, Washingt...
Landslides in the Western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, WA, Scie...
Landslides in the Western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, WA, Scie...
Landslides in the Western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, WA, Scie...

Recent light detection and ranging (lidar) imagery has allowed us to identify and map a large number of previously unrecognized landslides, or slides, in heavily forested terrain in the western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, Washington, and it has revealed that the few previously recognized areas of instability are actually composites of multiple smaller landslide

Recent light detection and ranging (lidar) imagery has allowed us to identify and map a large number of previously unrecognized landslides, or slides, in heavily forested terrain in the western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, Washington, and it has revealed that the few previously recognized areas of instability are actually composites of multiple smaller landslide

Tom Sisson At Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field...
Tom Sisson At Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field
Tom Sisson At Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field
Tom Sisson At Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field

CalVO scientist Tom Sisson studies a lava flow in the Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field in Saudi Arabia for an international collaboration with the Saudi Geological Survey to conduct a seismic and volcanic hazard assessment for the volcanic field.

CalVO scientist Tom Sisson studies a lava flow in the Harrat Rahat Volcanic Field in Saudi Arabia for an international collaboration with the Saudi Geological Survey to conduct a seismic and volcanic hazard assessment for the volcanic field.

Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a numeric scale that measures t...
Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a numeric scale that measures t...
Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a numeric scale that measures t...
Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a numeric scale that measures t...

Volume of products, eruption cloud height, and qualitative observations (using terms ranging from "gentle" to "mega-colossal") are used to determine the explosivity value. The scale is open-ended with the largest volcanic eruptions in history (supereruptions) given magnitude 8.

Volume of products, eruption cloud height, and qualitative observations (using terms ranging from "gentle" to "mega-colossal") are used to determine the explosivity value. The scale is open-ended with the largest volcanic eruptions in history (supereruptions) given magnitude 8.

CalVO geologists Duane Champion and Drew Downs collect paleomagneti...
CalVO geologists Duane Champion and Drew Downs collect paleomagneti...
CalVO geologists Duane Champion and Drew Downs collect paleomagneti...
CalVO geologists Duane Champion and Drew Downs collect paleomagneti...

CalVO geologists Duane Champion and Drew Downs collect paleomagnetic samples from basalt lava flows at Eagle Lake

Aerial view of Haleakalā Crater northward to Ko‘olau Gap. Sharp ri...
Haleakalā Crater northward to Ko‘olau Gap. Sharp rimmed crater in ...
Haleakalā Crater northward to Ko‘olau Gap. Sharp rimmed crater in ...
Haleakalā Crater northward to Ko‘olau Gap. Sharp rimmed crater in ...

Aerial view of Haleakalā Crater northward to Ko‘olau Gap. Sharp rimmed crater in near ground is Ka Lu‘u o ka ‘Ō‘ō.

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