Volcano Watch

Since July 2024 activity, at Kīlauea has been punctuated by two periods of intense unrest, centered on the upper East Rift Zone (ERZ). The periods...

Photography has been a crucial part of volcano monitoring in Hawaii going back to the start of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). In 1911...

Last month, the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano...

The Island of Hawaiʻi is one of the most seismically active areas in the world, producing thousands of earthquakes every year.  It also commonly...

The Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) is celebrating its 30th anniversary of growing the next generation of aloha ʻāina...

Remember when a little puddle of green water was spotted in Halemaʻumaʻu? Time flies, because that was late July 2019—over five years ago! And because...

"Time to go"… words that none of us at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) wanted to hear.

The upper East Rift Zone (UERZ) of Kīlauea has been shaking more than normal, with nearly 1,500 earthquakes between July 22 and 25. The activity is...

Measurement of volcanic gases is critical for both public safety and understanding volcanic activity—and everything we measure relies on the wind.

Island of Hawaiʻi residents are used to feeling the ground shake beneath them. From subtle shakes that feel like wind, to abrupt jolting that knocks...

The upper East Rift Zone (UERZ) of Kīlauea was a shaky place this past weekend. This region extends southeast from Kaluapele (Kīlauea’s summit caldera...

On May 15, 2024, our friend and colleague Ed Brown, Associate Director for Infrastructure and Facilities for the USGS Volcano Science Center (VSC)...

During the most active portion of their life cycle, called the shield stage, Hawaiian volcanoes erupt frequently and mostly produce a rock type called...

Over the past few years, eruptions of Kīlauea volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i have happened in remote regions and lava flows have not directly...

Kīlauea began erupting from fissures southwest of Kaluapele (the summit caldera) just after midnight on June 3; the eruption ceased just nine hours...

Mauna Loa volcano stands as the largest and most active volcano on Earth. With a rich history of eruptions that have shaped the Island of Hawaʻi's...

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is responsible for monitoring and studying one of the most active volcanic regions in the world. The...

Last week’s “Volcano Watch” summarized Kīlauea’s explosive eruptions of 1924 and their impacts on communities. This week, we dig a little deeper and...

Kīlauea began erupting explosively 100 years ago this week, for the first time in nearly a century. The eruption lasted for about 17 days, killing one...

This past week, earthquakes and inflation near Kīlauea’s summit prompted temporary closures within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. What is happening...