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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: 1664
Volcano Watch — Mauna Loa: The sleeping giant

Volcano Watch — Mauna Loa: The sleeping giant

Covering over half of the Island of Hawai‘i, Mauna Loa is sometimes referred to as a “sleeping giant” because it hasn’t erupted in 38 years after...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea’s summit lava lake continues to be quietly remarkable

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea’s summit lava lake continues to be quietly remarkable

The ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea hasn’t made the news recently, but that doesn’t mean the recent eruptive activity hasn’t been noteworthy...

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Volcano Watch — Hualālai’s Wahapele eruption: cone-building, explosive phreatic activity, and lava flows

Volcano Watch — Hualālai’s Wahapele eruption: cone-building, explosive phreatic activity, and lava flows

While our attention is generally drawn to the Island of Hawai‘i’s most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, it is also important to keep watch on...

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Volcano Watch — HVO geologist Frank Trusdell receives Meritorious Service Award

Volcano Watch — HVO geologist Frank Trusdell receives Meritorious Service Award

Frank A. Trusdell, a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), recently received a Meritorious Service...

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Volcano Watch — What is a volcano?

Volcano Watch — What is a volcano?

What makes a volcano a volcano? This was the topic of a “Volcano Watch” article about 20 years ago. Recent questions from visitors suggest this...

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Volcano Watch — Picturing a plume

Volcano Watch — Picturing a plume

The volcanic gas plume at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is often the most visible indication of the ongoing...

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Volcano Watch — Volcano scientists roam the streets in Heraklion, Greece

Volcano Watch — Volcano scientists roam the streets in Heraklion, Greece

Heraklion is the largest city on the island of Crete in Mediterranean Sea. The island isn’t volcanic, but other Greek islands dotting the sea surface...

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Volcano Watch — From macro to micro: How Hawaiian rocks tell their stories

Volcano Watch — From macro to micro: How Hawaiian rocks tell their stories

Like the pages of a book, the stories of Hawaiian volcanoes are “written” in layers of rock. When Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists...

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Volcano Watch — A forgotten collapse of Halemaʻumaʻu crater on June 5–7, 1916

Volcano Watch — A forgotten collapse of Halemaʻumaʻu crater on June 5–7, 1916

The passage of time has a way of isolating notable events of the past; present-day historians can easily lose track of individual events in the “fog”...

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Volcano Watch — Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist sets sail across the Atlantic

Volcano Watch — Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist sets sail across the Atlantic

June 8 was World Oceans Day, a day to appreciate the huge body of saltwater that covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface. This month, Dr. Ashton...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea’s colleagues: what other volcanoes are currently erupting on Earth?

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea’s colleagues: what other volcanoes are currently erupting on Earth?

Kīlauea, one of Earth’s most active volcanoes, has been on the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program (GVP) list of erupting volcanoes...

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Volcano Watch — Playing with wire: upcoming surveys to reveal Kīlauea’s inner workings

Volcano Watch — Playing with wire: upcoming surveys to reveal Kīlauea’s inner workings

In the last few months, "Volcano Watch" articles have introduced several research projects funded by the Additional Supplemental Disaster Relief Act...

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