Photo and Video Chronology — West side monitoring station maintenance

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory September 10, 2024

During the week of September 2, USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers visited the west side of the Island of Hawaiʻi to service several volcano monitoring stations.

At station HUAD, the repeater station on Hualālai, field engineers installed a voice repeater, and at station KOHD, the repeater station on Kohala, field engineers upgraded the seismic sensors. Field engineers also did maintenance at station TOUO, high on the west flank of Mauna Loa.

Station HUAD Maintenance

Color photograph of field engineer maintaining remote volcano monitoring station — At the Hualālai repeater station, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers installed a voice repeater that will enable radio communications between disparate locations. USGS photo by M. Warren.

Color photograph of volcano monitoring station power and electronics system — Remote volcano monitoring stations on the Island of Hawai‘i are powered via solar panels that charge a suite of batteries. The power system at the Hualālai repeater station, which relays data from nearby stations back to the observatory, was upgraded in 2023 to use lithium batteries (white boxes in the photo). USGS photo by M. Warren.

Color photograph of field engineers performing volcano monitoring station maintenance — The Hualālai repeater site is located on the southeast side of Hualālai volcano, which erupted most recently in 1800-1801. At an elevation of 2,160 meters (7,090 feet) above sea level, the repeater site is often enshrouded in fog. A suite of solar panels is used to generate power for the site, stored locally in lithium batteries. USGS photo by M. Warren.

Station KOHD Maintenance

Color photograph of field engineer removing volcano monitoring equipment — At repeater station KOHD, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers upgraded the seismic sensor and digitizer. The instrument is located in a vault, which protects it from environmental noise, such as wind. USGS photo by J. Chang.

Color photograph of volcano monitoring station — Repeater station KOHD receives data from monitoring stations nearby and relays it back to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The site is located on Kohala volcano, which last erupted over one hundred thousand years ago. The verdant pu‘u (hills) that are cinder cones erupted by Kohala are visible in the background of this photo. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

Color photograph of field engineer replacing wires at volcano monitoring station — A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) field engineer replaces the power cable at the KOHD repeater station. HVO field engineers maintain the network of instruments that allow HVO to monitor volcanic activity and earthquakes in Hawaii. Working with HVO IT-specialists, they ensure that each monitoring station functions and can relay data back to the observatory. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

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