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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 summit collapse 150 years ago had similarities to the 2018 collapse

Volcano Watch — A summit collapse 150 years ago had similarities to the 2018 collapse

The prolonged yet dramatic partial collapse of Kīlauea caldera this past summer was the first to be observed in detail and the largest measured by...

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Volcano Watch — How are lava-flow maps made during an eruption?

Volcano Watch — How are lava-flow maps made during an eruption?

During Kīlauea Volcano's recent lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption, lava-flow maps were a staple of the public outreach effort by the USGS Hawaiian...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea 2018 events mark a watershed for volcano science

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea 2018 events mark a watershed for volcano science

The 2018 summit collapse and lower East Rift Zone eruption at Kīlauea Volcano were dramatic and, for many Island of Hawai‘i residents, tragic events...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea hazard assessments include analyses of salts on volcanic ash

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea hazard assessments include analyses of salts on volcanic ash

Sulfur dioxide (SO2)-rich emissions have long been a feature of Kīlauea Volcano's summit activity. However, vigorous volcanic ash production during...

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Volcano Watch — Aftershocks of the 2018 magnitude-6.9 earthquake expected to continue

Volcano Watch — Aftershocks of the 2018 magnitude-6.9 earthquake expected to continue

On May 4, 2018, a powerful magnitude-6.9 earthquake on the south flank of Kīlauea Volcano shook the Island of Hawai‘i. It was the largest quake in...

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Volcano Watch — Volcano collapses mark the beginning and end of USGS scientist’s career

Volcano Watch — Volcano collapses mark the beginning and end of USGS scientist’s career

My 37-year stint with the U.S. Geological Survey—16 years at the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and 21 at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)...

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Volcano Watch — Tiltmeters measure tiny changes that can have big consequences

Volcano Watch — Tiltmeters measure tiny changes that can have big consequences

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) uses a diverse set of instruments to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii. These include seismometers, gas...

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Volcano Watch — Will this summer's limited collapse of Kīlauea caldera eventually widen?

Volcano Watch — Will this summer's limited collapse of Kīlauea caldera eventually widen?

The limited collapse of the inner part of Kīlauea Volcano's caldera this summer fell well short of the larger summit-wide collapses that occurred in...

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Volcano Watch — Seismic array deployed to better understand magma transport during Kīlauea's eruption

Volcano Watch — Seismic array deployed to better understand magma transport during Kīlauea's eruption

Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapse provided a rare opportunity to study dynamic eruptive processes beneath and...

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Volcano Watch — Scientists share lessons from Kīlauea at "Cities on Volcanoes" conference

Volcano Watch — Scientists share lessons from Kīlauea at "Cities on Volcanoes" conference

In 1902, Thomas A. Jaggar, a geologist and founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), visited the scene of one of the most deadly volcanic...

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Volcano Watch — Scientific community lends a hand to measure Kīlauea's changing shape

Volcano Watch — Scientific community lends a hand to measure Kīlauea's changing shape

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) has an extensive network of instruments that helps us monitor how the ground deforms due to magma moving...

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Volcano Watch — Voggy skies from days gone by: reviewing Kīlauea Volcano's gas release

Volcano Watch — Voggy skies from days gone by: reviewing Kīlauea Volcano's gas release

Many Island of Hawai‘i residents are familiar with the volcanic air pollution known as "vog." The main culprit in the formation of vog is sulfur...

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