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Volcano Watch

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. 

Filter Total Items: 1706
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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Volcano Watch — The U.S. Geological Survey’s review process: checking and verifying our information

Volcano Watch — The U.S. Geological Survey’s review process: checking and verifying our information

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the science agency of the U.S. Department of Interior. Our job is...

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Volcano Watch — It’s All About Perspective: How to Interpret an Interferogram

Volcano Watch — It’s All About Perspective: How to Interpret an Interferogram

Interferograms are images created by radar satellites that show how the ground has changed shape, or deformed, over time. Today, we’ll dive into one...

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Volcano Watch — How have eruptions shaped Hawaii? Volcano Awareness Month 2025, with a twist

Volcano Watch — How have eruptions shaped Hawaii? Volcano Awareness Month 2025, with a twist

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitors the six currently active volcanoes in Hawaii, but past eruptions have shaped all of the Hawaiian...

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Volcano Watch — What sounds the (automated) alarms at HVO?

Volcano Watch — What sounds the (automated) alarms at HVO?

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) keeps its eyes on active volcanoes in many ways.  While old fashioned eyes and a notebook are used when...

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Volcano Watch — Quantifying corrosion downwind of Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — Quantifying corrosion downwind of Kīlauea

In December 2022, a team of scientists from Aotearoa New Zealand teamed up with scientists from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) to carry...

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Volcano Watch — ʻAilāʻau or Kualoloa? Hawaiian chants suggest lava flow name change

Volcano Watch — ʻAilāʻau or Kualoloa? Hawaiian chants suggest lava flow name change

Native Hawaiian oral traditions record a rich history of the changing volcanic landscape in Hawaiʻi. Interweaving cultural knowledge with scientific...

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Volcano Watch — The Art and Science of Geologic Mapping

Volcano Watch — The Art and Science of Geologic Mapping

Geologic mapping has been one of the most fundamental mandates of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since its establishment in 1879. Congress created...

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Volcano Watch — Tilting towards lava: How tiltmeters monitor volcano activity

Volcano Watch — Tilting towards lava: How tiltmeters monitor volcano activity

Over the past century, technological advancements have vastly improved volcano monitoring. One key innovation was the introduction of modern borehole...

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Volcano Watch — The East Rift Zone of Kilauea was a busy place in the 1960s

Volcano Watch — The East Rift Zone of Kilauea was a busy place in the 1960s

The recent eruption at Nāpau Crater was the first on Kīlauea’s middle East Rift Zone (ERZ) in six years. We often remember the Pu‘u‘ō‘ō and Maunaulu...

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Volcano Watch — Potential long-term outcomes of recent intrusions in Kīlauea East Rift Zone

Volcano Watch — Potential long-term outcomes of recent intrusions in Kīlauea East Rift Zone

The intense seismicity and ground deformation along the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea in the past couple of months is interpreted to indicate intrusion of...

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Volcano Watch — The 2024 Great Hawaii ShakeOut

Volcano Watch — The 2024 Great Hawaii ShakeOut

In Hawaii, earthquakes are a common occurrence, and we should always practice earthquake preparedness. Millions of people around the world practice...

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Volcano Watch — First light (and flight) for HVO’s new airborne lidar system

Volcano Watch — First light (and flight) for HVO’s new airborne lidar system

Topographic mapping has been a key component of volcano monitoring for decades, helping scientists to study morphologic changes and predict the paths...

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Volcano Watch — Understanding magma storage and migration in Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone

Volcano Watch — Understanding magma storage and migration in Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone

Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world with eruptions common both at its summit caldera and within its two rift zones. Frequent...

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Volcano Watch — A New Kīlauea Eruption

Volcano Watch — A New Kīlauea Eruption

A new Kīlauea eruption began in a remote area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Sunday, September 15, 2024. This is the first eruption on Kīlauea...

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Volcano Watch — Recent intrusions follow pattern of previous events

Volcano Watch — Recent intrusions follow pattern of previous events

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...

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Volcano Watch — Webcam upgrades keep a sharp eye on Hawaiian volcanoes

Volcano Watch — Webcam upgrades keep a sharp eye on Hawaiian volcanoes

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...

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Volcano Watch — Introducing the Island of Hawaiʻi Interagency Operations Plan for Volcanic Eruptions

Volcano Watch — Introducing the Island of Hawaiʻi Interagency Operations Plan for Volcanic Eruptions

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

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