Volcano Watch

For several weeks we have been fielding calls from anxious people in Kona asking about an imminent eruption of Hualālai Volcano.

Last week we discussed the different land surveying techniques HVO scientists use to monitor the swelling and movement of active volcanoes.
 

The ground around an active volcano swells, deflates, or shifts as magma moves in and out of the volcano's underground plumbing system. The...

Hawaii is a land of rugged beauty and untamed natural forces swathed in a beguiling gentleness that is unmatched anywhere else on Earth.
 

The formation of new islands invariably sparks the imagination. On June 6th a submarine eruption began at Metis Shoal in the Tonga Islands. A passing...

On Monday and Tuesday of this past week, large waves generated by a storm near New Zealand caused considerable damage on the west coast of Hawai'i...

Hawaii is seismically very active. During a typical month, there are invariably several earthquakes that are large enough to be felt. This past month...

The eruption along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone continues with little change. Lava from two vents on the south and west sides of the Pu'u 'O'o cone is...

Maps showing volcanic hazard zones for the Big Island were first prepared in 1974 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The main function of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is to reduce the risk from volcanic activity.