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Volcano Watch

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will not publish Volcano Watch articles during the lapse in federal government appropriations. 

Filter Total Items: 1746
Volcano Watch — Tracking the growth of a new puʻu at Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — Tracking the growth of a new puʻu at Kīlauea

Tephra formed by lava fountains during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption has created a new puʻu (hill) southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The new...

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Volcano Watch — The legacy of the 1975 earthquake: 50 years of study at Kīlauea’s south flank

Volcano Watch — The legacy of the 1975 earthquake: 50 years of study at Kīlauea’s south flank

The 1975 Kalapana earthquake brought big changes to lives of the people affected by the fatalities and damage, as well as big changes to our...

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Volcano Watch — Remembering the destructive Kalapana earthquake 50 years ago

Volcano Watch — Remembering the destructive Kalapana earthquake 50 years ago

Fifty years ago this month, the largest Hawaii earthquake of the 20th and 21st centuries occurred. Earthquake shaking, as well as ground subsidence...

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Volcano Watch — Catching up on Kīlauea: 36 episodes and counting

Volcano Watch — Catching up on Kīlauea: 36 episodes and counting

The summit eruption of Kīlauea continues, with 36 episodes of lava fountaining since the eruption began on December 23, 2024. Let’s catch up on the...

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Volcano Watch – Lava, Logs, and Loose Cows: The Wild Job of HVO’s Technicians

Volcano Watch – Lava, Logs, and Loose Cows: The Wild Job of HVO’s Technicians

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) monitors volcanic activity across the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa, helping to ensure public safety...

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Volcano Watch – Volcano and earthquake monitoring in American Samoa

Volcano Watch – Volcano and earthquake monitoring in American Samoa

American Samoa is a United States territory which comprises the easternmost islands of a volcanic island chain formed by the Samoan hotspot in the...

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Volcano Watch — The long way to cross Kāwili Street: Waiākea grad joins University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Volcano Watch — The long way to cross Kāwili Street: Waiākea grad joins University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Born and raised in Hilo, I grew up hiking in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, fishing in Ka'ū, and stargazing on Mauna Kea. I knew then that the Big...

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Volcano Watch — Dick Fiske, one of HVO’s very best

Volcano Watch — Dick Fiske, one of HVO’s very best

Dick Fiske, who died on June 18 as he neared his 93rd birthday, was one of the most original thinkers ever at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory...

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Volcano Watch — Cracks in the 2018 Kīlauea lava delta: what do they mean?

Volcano Watch — Cracks in the 2018 Kīlauea lava delta: what do they mean?

Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption transformed the lower Puna District of the Island of Hawaiʻi, including its coastline, where 875 acres of new land were added...

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Volcano Watch — Fringes and fractures for episode 30

Volcano Watch — Fringes and fractures for episode 30

The past eight months have provided the Island of Hawaiʻi with spectacles of lava fountains at Kīlauea’s summit. These historic episodes began on...

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Volcano Watch — Water in Kīlauea, and its role in its eruptions

Volcano Watch — Water in Kīlauea, and its role in its eruptions

When most people think of erupting water, they probably have geysers, like Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, in mind. However, Kīlauea...

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Volcano Watch — Discovery of a massive submarine landslide near the 1957 Aleutian earthquake epicenter

Volcano Watch — Discovery of a massive submarine landslide near the 1957 Aleutian earthquake epicenter

As part of a growing national effort to understand seafloor hazards, scientists from the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volcano Science...

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Volcano Watch — Distant versus local earthquakes and tsunami response times in Hawaii

Volcano Watch — Distant versus local earthquakes and tsunami response times in Hawaii

Earthquakes and tsunamis in the news over the past few days are a reminder that we live on a dynamic planet with different hazards and associated...

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Volcano Watch — Ancient volcanoes are critical to our modern world, and our future

Volcano Watch — Ancient volcanoes are critical to our modern world, and our future

If you’ve read “Volcano Watch” articles before, you can probably list several reasons that scientists study volcanoes. However, there is another...

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Volcano Watch — Remembering a destructive Mauna Loa eruption 75 years ago

Volcano Watch — Remembering a destructive Mauna Loa eruption 75 years ago

Lava fountains at the summit of Kīlauea have been shining a spotlight on Hawaii’s most active volcano but let us not forget the larger one looming in...

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Volcano Watch — Snowshoeing on Kīlauea? High fountain episodes pose new challenges to volcano monitoring

Volcano Watch — Snowshoeing on Kīlauea? High fountain episodes pose new challenges to volcano monitoring

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) maintains a network of nearly 150 monitoring instruments on Kīlauea, which track activity above and below...

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Volcano Watch — So what on Earth (or at least on Kīlauea) is a “gas piston”?

Volcano Watch — So what on Earth (or at least on Kīlauea) is a “gas piston”?

If you’ve been following the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea, you may have seen the terms "gas piston" or "gas pistoning" show up in some of the USGS...

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Volcano Watch — Where does Kīlauea tephra go? The answer is blowin' in the wind

Volcano Watch — Where does Kīlauea tephra go? The answer is blowin' in the wind

The spectacular series of Kīlauea eruption episodes over the past six months has been remarkably safe for public viewing, but a simple change in the...

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Volcano Watch — School's out for Summer: Introducing New Interns at HVO!

Volcano Watch — School's out for Summer: Introducing New Interns at HVO!

As another school year ends, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) welcomes two new summer interns: Kamalani Poepoe and Ruth Gale. With an...

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Volcano Watch — Six Months of Halemaʻumaʻu Lava Fountains

Volcano Watch — Six Months of Halemaʻumaʻu Lava Fountains

There is much to appreciate about the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption as it approaches its 6-month anniversary on June 23. The stunning episodic lava...

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Volcano Watch — What Fans the Flames Observed at Volcanic Vents?

Volcano Watch — What Fans the Flames Observed at Volcanic Vents?

Recently, something has been observed “dancing” above the active eruptive vents inside Halemaʻumaʻu…Hydrogen flames! Let’s take a look into what...

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