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Daily updates about ongoing eruptions, recent images and videos of summit and East Rift Zone volcanic activity, maps, and data about recent earthquakes in Hawaii are posted on the HVO website. 

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

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Volcano Watch — Radial vents: Mauna Loa's curve ball for lava flow hazards

Volcano Watch — Radial vents: Mauna Loa's curve ball for lava flow hazards

Rift zones, which form during the shield-building stage of development, are prominent features of Hawaiian volcanoes. They are typically long, linear...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea and Mars

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea and Mars

One of the most highly watched events recently on television occurred on the Fourth of July when the U.S. Mars Pathfinder mission successfully...

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Volcano Watch — Eruption Update—August 8

Volcano Watch — Eruption Update—August 8

Pele continued her march to the sea in the two months since our last eruption update through Volcano Watch. Lava reached the ocean on July 12 and...

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Volcano Watch — The first written account of Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — The first written account of Kīlauea

The English missionary, Rev. William Ellis, visited the summit region of Kīlauea 174 years ago this week and made the first written description of...

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Volcano Watch — Fishponds versus lava flows

Volcano Watch — Fishponds versus lava flows

The North Kona Coast of the Big Island is fortunate to have several Hawaiian fishponds preserved. These ponds were major construction feats by which...

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Volcano Watch — Update on Soufriere Hills, Montserrat

Volcano Watch — Update on Soufriere Hills, Montserrat

Last Friday, July 18, marked the two-year anniversary of the ongoing eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano on the small Caribbean island of Montserrat...

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Volcano Watch — How big was it? Magnitude and intensity of an earthquake

Volcano Watch — How big was it? Magnitude and intensity of an earthquake

Following the June 30th M5.3 Kalapana earthquake, there seemed to be a misunderstanding of what the magnitude of an earthquake really means.
 

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Volcano Watch — Earthquake reflects instability of Kīlauea's south flank

Volcano Watch — Earthquake reflects instability of Kīlauea's south flank

The earthquake that woke many Big Island residents at 5:47 a.m. on Monday, June 30, was the biggest on the island since February 1, 1994, and the...

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Volcano Watch — Increases in vog may not mean increases in volcanic activity

Volcano Watch — Increases in vog may not mean increases in volcanic activity

Sometimes people call the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) and ask us if more gas is coming out of the volcano because air...

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Volcano Watch — The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Volcano Watch — The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

A popular local morning radio program had a contest early last week, and the question posed was "Where is the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes?"...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea Eruption Update—June 13, 1997

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea Eruption Update—June 13, 1997

Kīlauea's 14-year-old east rift zone eruption continues. Episode 55, ongoing since February 24, 1997, is characterized by shifting vent locations...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea is the nation's most deadly volcano

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea is the nation's most deadly volcano

What volcano in the United States has been the most deadly since the country was founded? Mount St. Helens? Mount Rainier? Lassen Peak? Good guesses...

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