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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 — A New Eruption and a New Era at Kīlauea Volcano

Volcano Watch — A New Eruption and a New Era at Kīlauea Volcano

‘Twas the Sunday before Christmas, the eve of the winter solstice, and festive holiday lights blinked of bright red and green. And then, shortly after...

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Volcano Watch — A small but notable magma intrusion at Kīlauea’s summit

Volcano Watch — A small but notable magma intrusion at Kīlauea’s summit

The 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit caldera collapse marked the end of the 35-year-long Puʻu ʻŌʻō and 10-year-long summit lava lake...

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Volcano Watch — Recent activity reminds us to maintain our volcano awareness

Volcano Watch — Recent activity reminds us to maintain our volcano awareness

Though there hasn’t been an eruption in Hawai‘i in 2020, the year has hardly been quiet—earthquake swarms, an elevated alert-level on Mauna Loa, and a...

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Volcano Watch — When rocks fly

Volcano Watch — When rocks fly

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel from the depths of Kīlauea and be hurled into the air as a tiny grain of volcanic ash? How high...

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Volcano Watch — Remembering the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout from 2007

Volcano Watch — Remembering the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout from 2007

Recall this lava flow crisis from years ago: lava breaks out of the normal confines of the long-lived Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption, with flows advancing...

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Volcano Watch — How has topography been modeled at Hawaii’s volcanoes?

Volcano Watch — How has topography been modeled at Hawaii’s volcanoes?

In volcano-related cartography and geographic analyses, especially in Hawaii, there is perhaps nothing more important than having an accurate digital...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea’s key—Using Hawaiian eruptions to understand volcanism in northern California

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea’s key—Using Hawaiian eruptions to understand volcanism in northern California

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has 5 volcano observatories tasked with monitoring low to high threat volcanoes throughout the United States. 

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Volcano Watch — Innovative Monitoring of Kīlauea’s Summit Water Lake

Volcano Watch — Innovative Monitoring of Kīlauea’s Summit Water Lake

Famous for glowing red lava and billowing volcanic plumes, Halema‘uma‘u has long inspired poets, painters and photographers to find meaning in the...

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Volcano Watch — Seismic Swarms and Sulfur Smells: What is Happening at Kīlauea Volcano?

Volcano Watch — Seismic Swarms and Sulfur Smells: What is Happening at Kīlauea Volcano?

On the evening of Thursday, October 22nd, people living near the summit of Kīlauea Volcano began to feel a series of earthquakes.  They were small...

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Volcano Watch — Charcoal, a game changer for understanding processes in young volcanic terraines

Volcano Watch — Charcoal, a game changer for understanding processes in young volcanic terraines

One of the fundamental premises of geology is that the "key to understanding the future is to understand the past."  In order to forecast how a...

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Volcano Watch — Crack team of geologists measure the Koa‘e fault system

Volcano Watch — Crack team of geologists measure the Koa‘e fault system

The Koa‘e fault system connects Kīlauea’s East and Southwest Rift Zones south of the caldera. Faults here appear as low cliffs, or “scarps” along...

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Volcano Watch — Join the Statewide Earthquake Preparedness Drill on 10/15 at 10:15

Volcano Watch — Join the Statewide Earthquake Preparedness Drill on 10/15 at 10:15

Major earthquakes cannot be predicted. Successful earthquake predictions need to have three things correct: the location, the time, and the magnitude...

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