Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

News

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.

Filter Total Items: 1794
Volcano Watch — HVO innovation, 3D application

Volcano Watch — HVO innovation, 3D application

The electronics workshop at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) buzzes with creative activity. 

Read Article
Volcano Watch — A cloud of ten thousand points: terrestrial laser scanning of Halemaʻumaʻu

Volcano Watch — A cloud of ten thousand points: terrestrial laser scanning of Halemaʻumaʻu

Scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) largely rely on aerial data collection for making maps of ongoing eruptions at Kīlauea. Most...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — The refilling of Halemaʻumaʻu crater

Volcano Watch — The refilling of Halemaʻumaʻu crater

Halemaʻumaʻu crater has undergone repeated changes during the past two centuries. Prior to 1924, the size and shape of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — 30 years of Volcano Watch

Volcano Watch — 30 years of Volcano Watch

It’s hard to believe that the “Volcano Watch” weekly article and volcano activity update started 30 years ago. On November 3, 1991, the USGS Hawaiian...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — Tracking magma movement using olivine crystal “clocks”

Volcano Watch — Tracking magma movement using olivine crystal “clocks”

Olivine crystals—the beautiful green mineral common in Hawaiian lavas—record when and where magmas move inside Hawaiian volcanoes before they erupt...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — Pavlof: a volcano without typical signs of unrest?

Volcano Watch — Pavlof: a volcano without typical signs of unrest?

Volcanoes commonly give us clues that they are going to erupt. Before an eruption, gas, magma, and other fluids move below the surface of a volcano...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — How high is that lava fountain?

Volcano Watch — How high is that lava fountain?

The rapid onset of the current summit eruption sent USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews running to grab their gear and head for the rim of...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — The Canary Islands “mega-tsunami” hypothesis, and why it doesn’t carry water

Volcano Watch — The Canary Islands “mega-tsunami” hypothesis, and why it doesn’t carry water

The recent eruption on La Palma, in the Canary Islands, has stimulated speculation that the volcano might collapse, creating a tsunami that would...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — Large Earthquake reminds us to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”

Volcano Watch — Large Earthquake reminds us to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”

The magnitude-6.2 earthquake that occurred on Sunday, October 10 at 11:49 a.m. HST, originated just south of the Island of Hawai‘i. The large...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — What’s that rising from the lava lake?

Volcano Watch — What’s that rising from the lava lake?

The past year has seen fluctuating lava lakes, ephemeral lava fountains, craggy spires, and drifting “islands” reminiscent of pre-1924 Halemaʻumaʻu...

Read Article
USGS HVO Volcanic Activity Notice — Kīlauea RED/WARNING status change to ORANGE/WATCH

USGS HVO Volcanic Activity Notice — Kīlauea RED/WARNING status change to ORANGE/WATCH


The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is lowering Kīlauea’s volcano alert level to WATCH and its aviation color code to ORANGE, reflecting the...

Read Article
Volcano Watch — A new eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu

Volcano Watch — A new eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu

Kīlauea volcano is erupting again. Wednesday afternoon, lava returned to Kīlauea's summit within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park after a 4-month...

Read Article
Was this page helpful?