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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. 

Filter Total Items: 1689
Volcano Watch — Tracking down Mauna Loa’s carbon dioxide

Volcano Watch — Tracking down Mauna Loa’s carbon dioxide

When lava poured out over the floor of Moku‘āweoweo, Mauna Loa’s summit caldera, late on the night of November 27, 2022, it was still many hours away...

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Volcano Watch — What is the highest elevation reached by Halemaʻumaʻu lava?

Volcano Watch — What is the highest elevation reached by Halemaʻumaʻu lava?

The 2018 collapse of southern Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) left a pit whose lowest point was about 500 m (1640 ft) above sea level (asl). Since 2020...

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Volcano Watch — Unveiling Earth's magnetic secrets: paleomagnetism and its geological applications

Volcano Watch — Unveiling Earth's magnetic secrets: paleomagnetism and its geological applications

When we think about the Earth's magnetic field, we often associate it with compasses and navigation. However, did you know that our planet's magnetic...

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Volcano Watch — Reflections of recent eruptions

Volcano Watch — Reflections of recent eruptions

Kīlauea volcano began erupting within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit during the early morning of June 7. The eruption marks another in a series of...

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Volcano Watch — Volcano monitoring from space: InSAR time series success in Alaska

Volcano Watch — Volcano monitoring from space: InSAR time series success in Alaska

In a recent “Volcano Watch” article, we learned about a remote sensing technique known as InSAR. This method of using satellite radar signals to...

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Volcano Watch — Legends of Eruptions Past

Volcano Watch — Legends of Eruptions Past

Active volcanoes tell us their stories through earthquakes, deformation, gas emissions, and lava flows. We interpret those stories through myriad...

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Volcano Watch — Ups and downs at Kīlauea summit: Quiescence, eruptions, and constant change

Volcano Watch — Ups and downs at Kīlauea summit: Quiescence, eruptions, and constant change

May 3rd, 2023, marked the fifth anniversary of the start of Kīlauea’s historic 2018 eruption that resulted in extensive lava flows from the East Rift...

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Volcano Watch — Explosive Eruptions from Halemaʻumaʻu in 1924

Volcano Watch — Explosive Eruptions from Halemaʻumaʻu in 1924

May 2023 marks the 99th anniversary of a sequence of explosive eruptions from Kīlauea's summit that occurred over 16 days from May 11–27, 1924. During...

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Volcano Watch — Five years flow by: reflections on the destructive 2018 eruption of Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — Five years flow by: reflections on the destructive 2018 eruption of Kīlauea

Five years ago, volcanic activity at Kīlauea dramatically changed when magma intruded into the lower East Rift Zone (LERZ). What happened at Kīlauea...

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Volcano Watch — Today’s Family of Five USGS Volcano Observatories Began with HVO Over 111 Years Ago

Volcano Watch — Today’s Family of Five USGS Volcano Observatories Began with HVO Over 111 Years Ago

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was founded in 1912. Today, over 111 years later, HVO is one of five volcano observatories supported by the U.S...

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Volcano Watch — Did lava flow out of Mauna Loa’s southern caldera in 2022?

Volcano Watch — Did lava flow out of Mauna Loa’s southern caldera in 2022?

The recent 2022 Mauna Loa eruption began just before midnight, at 11:21 p.m. on November 27.  The first caldera floor fissures were visible in webcams...

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Volcano Watch — Imaging the underground at Kīlauea’s summit

Volcano Watch — Imaging the underground at Kīlauea’s summit

Where is magma stored beneath the surface of Kīlauea and how is it transported to the places where eruptions occur? Scientists have hypothesized the...

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Volcano Watch — April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii

Volcano Watch — April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii

It’s official! Governor Green recently proclaimed that April is again Tsunami Awareness Month for the State of Hawaii. This is not to be confused with...

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Volcano Watch — Using water cannon experiments to improve understanding of volcanic blasts

Volcano Watch — Using water cannon experiments to improve understanding of volcanic blasts

The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington State illustrated the hazards and impacts of lateral (ground-hugging) volcanic blasts on natural...

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Volcano Watch — Pele’s hairs: a beautiful hazard on the Island of Hawaiʻi

Volcano Watch — Pele’s hairs: a beautiful hazard on the Island of Hawaiʻi

Shiny and elusive, featherlight and golden-brown. If poets were to write about rocks, I’m sure they would sing their praises of Pele’s hairs. Don’t be...

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Volcano Watch — GeoSPACE: The benefits of accommodation and inclusion in geology field experiences

Volcano Watch — GeoSPACE: The benefits of accommodation and inclusion in geology field experiences

Scientists from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) are collaborating with academic colleagues to make field experiences in geology more...

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Volcano Watch — Hele mai to the USGS open house on March 15

Volcano Watch — Hele mai to the USGS open house on March 15

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will host an informal open house on March 15th about the proposed new building in Hilo and draft Environmental...

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Volcano Watch — “Seeing” inside Mauna Loa for the first time in almost 40 years

Volcano Watch — “Seeing” inside Mauna Loa for the first time in almost 40 years

Understanding volcanic eruptions requires learning about where the erupted lavas come from deep within the volcano. But how do scientists get...

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Volcano Watch — The missing slow slip events on Kīlauea’s south flank

Volcano Watch — The missing slow slip events on Kīlauea’s south flank

Over the past two decades, both scientists and members of the public have anticipated the occurrence of slow slip events (SSEs) on Kīlauea’s south...

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Volcano Watch — Comparing crises: Mauna Loa 1984 vs Mauna Loa 2022

Volcano Watch — Comparing crises: Mauna Loa 1984 vs Mauna Loa 2022

Mauna Loa’s recent eruption is still fresh in the minds of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists and Island of Hawai‘i residents. Now is a...

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Volcano Watch — On the road again: Chasing Mauna Loa’s gas plume

Volcano Watch — On the road again: Chasing Mauna Loa’s gas plume

When Mauna Loa erupted in November 2022 for the first time in nearly forty years, one of the main concerns was the lava and where it would flow. But...

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