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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.

Filter Total Items: 1772
Volcano Watch — All in a Day’s Work: Determining magma storage depths at Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — All in a Day’s Work: Determining magma storage depths at Kīlauea

Consider a can of soda. When the can is closed (pressurized), the soda contains dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2). When you open the can, the pressure...

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Volcano Watch — When have lava fountains formed on Kīlauea and what are their hazards?

Volcano Watch — When have lava fountains formed on Kīlauea and what are their hazards?

Kīlauea is in a unique phase of activity in Halemaʻumaʻu, with 12 episodes of dual lava fountains since December 23, 2024. Several past eruptions have...

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Volcano Watch — The nose knows (and so did HVO gas instrumentation…eventually)

Volcano Watch — The nose knows (and so did HVO gas instrumentation…eventually)

It was a dark and stormy night…

No, this isn’t a ghost story or horror movie – it’s a “Volcano Watch” about the eruption last fall near Nāpau Crater on...

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Volcano Watch — What happens beneath the surface doesn’t always stay beneath the surface

Volcano Watch — What happens beneath the surface doesn’t always stay beneath the surface

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically for the past two months in Halemaʻumaʻu, nested within the south end of Kaluapele, the summit caldera...

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Volcano Watch — What’s shaking? Earthquake alerts explained

Volcano Watch — What’s shaking? Earthquake alerts explained

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Hawaii. If you subscribe to emergency, earthquake, or volcano notifications, the shaking you feel might be...

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Volcano Watch — An assembly of volcano scientists to gather in Hilo

Volcano Watch — An assembly of volcano scientists to gather in Hilo

What is the collective noun for a group of volcano scientists? While some tongue-in-cheek responses might be “an eruption of volcanologists” or “a...

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Volcano Watch — Announcing 2025 Volcano Awareness Month Art & Poetry Contest Winners

Volcano Watch — Announcing 2025 Volcano Awareness Month Art & Poetry Contest Winners

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) spearheads Volcano Awareness Month each January on the Island of Hawaiʻi. This year, in addition to in...

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Volcano Watch — Recent lava fountains highlight Pele’s Hair hazards

Volcano Watch — Recent lava fountains highlight Pele’s Hair hazards

Residents and visitors alike have been watching episodic lava fountains in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea since late December 2024. While...

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Volcano Watch — Peering into a crystal ball: What tiny crystals can tell us about their trip through the magma chamber

Volcano Watch — Peering into a crystal ball: What tiny crystals can tell us about their trip through the magma chamber

Like fortune tellers who peer into a crystal ball for insight, volcanologists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) peer into the tiny...

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Volcano Watch — The pressure is on, within Kīlauea and for volcanologists to foretell what's next

Volcano Watch — The pressure is on, within Kīlauea and for volcanologists to foretell what's next

The recent eruption of Kīlauea within Halemaʻumaʻu brought back an eruptive style not seen for many years.  The eruption included 3 episodes of lava...

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Volcano Watch — Happy New Year, Hawaiian Style

Volcano Watch — Happy New Year, Hawaiian Style

People around the world greet the New Year with fireworks and other celebrations. This year, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitors greeted the New...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea summit erupts again

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea summit erupts again

Kīlauea began erupting again on December 23, 2024. This is the eighth eruption of Kīlauea, and the sixth within Kaluapele, since 2020. These previous...

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