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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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USGS HVO Volcanic Activity Notice — Kīlauea YELLOW/ADVISORY status change to ORANGE/WATCH

USGS HVO Volcanic Activity Notice — Kīlauea YELLOW/ADVISORY status change to ORANGE/WATCH

The US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is raising the volcano alert level/aviation color code for Kīlauea from Advisory/Yellow to Watch...

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Volcano Watch — ‘Ailā‘au—the largest subaerial Kīlauea lava flow

Volcano Watch — ‘Ailā‘au—the largest subaerial Kīlauea lava flow

The 2018 lower East Rift Zone and 35-year-long Puʻuʻōʻō eruptions of Kīlauea had large impacts on the Puna District. Many residents were deeply...

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Volcano Watch — 1790 was a bad year at Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — 1790 was a bad year at Kīlauea

More people were probably killed by the 1790 eruption of Kīlauea than by any other eruption in what is now the United States. Several hundred men...

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Volcano Watch — A spaceborne sentinel keeps watch over Hawaiian volcanoes

Volcano Watch — A spaceborne sentinel keeps watch over Hawaiian volcanoes

Geologists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) had their mobile phones buzzing this past week with automated alert messages, notifying them...

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Volcano Watch — Under the radar: Using weather stations to study Kīlauea’s December 20, 2020, plume

Volcano Watch — Under the radar: Using weather stations to study Kīlauea’s December 20, 2020, plume

This week marks the second anniversary of the appearance of water in Kīlauea’s Halema‘uma‘u crater, so it seems timely to discuss the water lake’s...

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Volcano Watch — Stressed out: Hawaiian volcanoes are heavy

Volcano Watch — Stressed out: Hawaiian volcanoes are heavy

Many people living in the Hawaiian Islands are accustomed to feeling occasional earthquakes since the State of Hawaii is one of the most seismically...

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Volcano Watch — Learning from the 1984 eruption of Mauna Loa

Volcano Watch — Learning from the 1984 eruption of Mauna Loa

The most recent page in Mauna Loa’s eruptive history was written in 1984. The eruption began in March of 1984, about a decade after the 1975 summit...

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Volcano Watch — Remembering Mauna Loa’s eruption on July 5–6, 1975

Volcano Watch — Remembering Mauna Loa’s eruption on July 5–6, 1975

Mauna Loa erupted forty-six years ago this week, on July 5–6, 1975, in a 20-hour event with vents confined to the summit region (the area above 3,660...

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Volcano Watch — Volcanoes in Canada, eh?

Volcano Watch — Volcanoes in Canada, eh?

Happy Canada Day/Bonne Fête du Canada! While some past "Volcano Watch" articles have had a July 4th theme for the USA, this year we’re taking the...

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Volcano Watch — Seismic halfalogues: earthquakes are only part of the conversation

Volcano Watch — Seismic halfalogues: earthquakes are only part of the conversation

The journey from volcanic repose to a climactic eruption is like a mystery movie that keeps you at the edge of your seat. The story is filled with...

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Volcano Watch — New Instrument Measures Lava Lake with Laser 

Volcano Watch — New Instrument Measures Lava Lake with Laser 

The night sky over Kīlauea summit lit up with the glow of lava Sunday, December 20th, 2020. Deep in the caldera, the gathered lake water was boiled by...

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Volcano Watch — Campaign season is here! Another way HVO tracks changes on Hawaiian volcanoes

Volcano Watch — Campaign season is here! Another way HVO tracks changes on Hawaiian volcanoes

Geodetic surveys measure the change in shape of our volcanoes due to changes in magma supply and storage. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)...

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