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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: 1785
Volcano Watch — A small eruption leads to world-class research

Volcano Watch — A small eruption leads to world-class research

Great oaks from little acorns grow. Who would have thought that a little eruption in a small pit crater would be the seed from which a great oak of...

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Volcano Watch — Coming soon—Volcano Awareness Month and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's centennial celebration

Volcano Watch — Coming soon—Volcano Awareness Month and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's centennial celebration

January 2012 is just around the corner, and staff at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) are busily preparing for the many public events...

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Volcano Watch — A look back at Mauna Loa

Volcano Watch — A look back at Mauna Loa

Hikers reaching the rim of Moku‘āweoweo, Mauna Loa's summit caldera, can gaze across the expanse of lava—erupted in 1984—that covers most of the...

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Volcano Watch — How to watch world volcanoes on the web

Volcano Watch — How to watch world volcanoes on the web

During the past several weeks, many volcanoes have been active around the world. While we focus on our home volcano, it can be very interesting to...

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Volcano Watch — Be prepared for the zombie apocalypse—and other emergencies

Volcano Watch — Be prepared for the zombie apocalypse—and other emergencies

Popular cultural phenomena come and go: Elvis Presley, Mickey Mouse, and hula hoops have all come in and out of fashion repeatedly. But for many...

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Volcano Watch — Has Halema‘uma‘u's lava lake changed in 100 years?

Volcano Watch — Has Halema‘uma‘u's lava lake changed in 100 years?

With the 100th anniversary of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory fast approaching, many scientists at the observatory are thinking about how the current...

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Volcano Watch — Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō quietly and slowly building new flow field

Volcano Watch — Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō quietly and slowly building new flow field

Without the dramatic flourish of recent events, lava is quietly erupting from Kīlauea's newest fissure, which opened September 21 on the east rim of...

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Volcano Watch — Netquakes and Shakemaps—How you can get involved in HVO seismology

Volcano Watch — Netquakes and Shakemaps—How you can get involved in HVO seismology

On October 19, 2011, a magnitude-4.5 earthquake struck on the northwest flank of Mauna Kea at 2:10 p.m., HST, followed by more than 50 aftershocks...

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Volcano Watch — Columnar jointing provides clues to cooling history of lava flows

Volcano Watch — Columnar jointing provides clues to cooling history of lava flows

Above Hilo’s iconic Rainbow Falls on the Wailuku River is Boiling Pots. This area, named for the many "potholes" in the river bed, churns and roils...

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Volcano Watch — Volcanic Gas studies in Hawaii—then and now

Volcano Watch — Volcanic Gas studies in Hawaii—then and now

What a difference a century (or even a few years) can make! As noted in an earlier Volcano Watch (June 5, 2011), 1911 was a dynamic year for science...

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Volcano Watch — How Thomas Jaggar's vision became the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

Volcano Watch — How Thomas Jaggar's vision became the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory

One hundred years ago, Frank Perret, world-famous volcanologist, was watching the lava lake action in Halema‘uma‘u Crater. Honolulu businessmen and...

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Volcano Watch — Infamous Mount Tambora is rumbling again

Volcano Watch — Infamous Mount Tambora is rumbling again

Skies darkened, temperatures plunged, crops failed, and disease and famine ensued. These and other strange phenomena afflicted people around the world...

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