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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: 1689
Volcano Watch — Volcano monitoring can be a risky business: how scientists work safely

Volcano Watch — Volcano monitoring can be a risky business: how scientists work safely

Active volcanoes are inherently hazardous places to work. Even when a volcano is quiet, volcanic gases, ground cracks, earthquakes, and uneven...

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Volcano Watch — Fostering Prepared Youths on the Natural Hazards of Backyard Volcanoes

Volcano Watch — Fostering Prepared Youths on the Natural Hazards of Backyard Volcanoes

During volcanic crises, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) plays a pivotal role, sharing information on activity and associated hazards with...

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Volcano Watch — What’s shaking beneath Mauna Loa?

Volcano Watch — What’s shaking beneath Mauna Loa?

It’s hard to believe that nearly one year has passed since Mauna Loa erupted. Mauna Loa has been mostly quiet since the end of the 2022 eruption, but...

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Volcano Watch — Not just polka dots: the hidden dance of processing GPS data

Volcano Watch — Not just polka dots: the hidden dance of processing GPS data

For over thirty years, high-precision GPS (Global Positioning System) measurements have been a key tool used by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory...

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Volcano Watch — Unrest Continues at Kīlauea Summit

Volcano Watch — Unrest Continues at Kīlauea Summit

The most recent eruption at Kīlauea’s summit began on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Following weeks of heightened unrest, fissures opened on the Halema...

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Volcano Watch — Aloha ʻOe to a Remarkable and Beloved Volcanologist, Dr. Jim Kauahikaua

Volcano Watch — Aloha ʻOe to a Remarkable and Beloved Volcanologist, Dr. Jim Kauahikaua

Distinguished volcanologist Dr. James P. “Jim” Kauahikaua, Ph.D., passed away in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 8, 2023. James Puupai...

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Volcano Watch — The Great Hawaiʻi ShakeOut and the Earthquake Energy Budget

Volcano Watch — The Great Hawaiʻi ShakeOut and the Earthquake Energy Budget

The Great Hawaii ShakeOut is a yearly event for kamaʻāina and visitors to practice and prepare for when a large damaging earthquake hits the Hawaiian...

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Volcano Watch — Hawaii’s volcanoes are quiet and it’s a bit spooky

Volcano Watch — Hawaii’s volcanoes are quiet and it’s a bit spooky

Here in Hawaii nei, we don’t have the dramatically changing leaf colors and brisk temperatures that mark the arrival of Fall. And as October arrived...

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Volcano Watch — What do we know about the Kulanaokuaiki Tephra of Kīlauea volcano?

Volcano Watch — What do we know about the Kulanaokuaiki Tephra of Kīlauea volcano?

Kīlauea’s recent summit eruptions and lava lakes are exciting for residents, visitors, and scientists. However, Kīlauea has had numerous explosive...

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Volcano Watch — Tsunamis pose a major threat to Hawaii: 24/7 monitoring at PTWC

Volcano Watch — Tsunamis pose a major threat to Hawaii: 24/7 monitoring at PTWC

It’s 3 a.m. and you’re halfway through a 12-6 a.m. graveyard shift at the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

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Volcano Watch — Another Kīlauea summit eruption, another opportunity to learn

Volcano Watch — Another Kīlauea summit eruption, another opportunity to learn

Kīlauea is now erupting at the summit for the fifth time since 2020! The ongoing eruption offers an opportunity for Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)...

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Volcano Watch — Tilt measurements still vital to volcano monitoring after more than a century

Volcano Watch — Tilt measurements still vital to volcano monitoring after more than a century

Measuring how a volcano deforms in response to moving magma is one of the cornerstones of volcano monitoring. Our instrumentation includes a number of...

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Volcano Watch — Using remote acoustic monitoring to distinguish volcanic styles

Volcano Watch — Using remote acoustic monitoring to distinguish volcanic styles

Volcanic eruptive activity may take many forms, from gently erupting basaltic fissures in Hawaii to intense explosive eruptions like those of Mount St...

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Volcano Watch — Aloha to the University of Hawai‘i’s Newest Geology Professor

Volcano Watch — Aloha to the University of Hawai‘i’s Newest Geology Professor

Dr. Lis Gallant has spent the last two and a half years at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral...

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Volcano Watch — The most unusual Kīlauea eruption…maybe 1823?

Volcano Watch — The most unusual Kīlauea eruption…maybe 1823?

Last month a "Volcano Watch" article discussed the bicentennial of the first visit of westerners to Kīlauea caldera, led by English missionary William...

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Volcano Watch — Searching for tephra from one of Kīlauea’s largest explosive eruptions

Volcano Watch — Searching for tephra from one of Kīlauea’s largest explosive eruptions

Understanding the eruptive history of volcanoes in Hawaii requires a tremendous amount of time and effort examining deposits. Typically, older...

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Volcano Watch — USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff return to American Samoa

Volcano Watch — USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff return to American Samoa

It's been one year since Taʻū volcano in American Samoa started shaking residents of the Manuʻa Islands (Ofu-Olosega and Ta‘ū Islands). Fortunately...

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Volcano Watch — Monitoring Kīlauea with Ocean Noise

Volcano Watch — Monitoring Kīlauea with Ocean Noise

Ocean swells are constantly occurring across the Earth’s oceans. These swells interact with the ocean crust below, creating continuous ocean noise...

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Volcano Watch — Halema‘uma‘u’s 1967-68 eruption: another crater-filler

Volcano Watch — Halema‘uma‘u’s 1967-68 eruption: another crater-filler

Kīlauea’s activity from 2018 until now has been compared to cycles of summit collapse and refilling prior to 1924. However, Kīlauea also exhibited...

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Volcano Watch — Two hundred years of written observations of Kīlauea’s summit activity

Volcano Watch — Two hundred years of written observations of Kīlauea’s summit activity

On August 1, 1823, an English missionary named William Ellis visited Kīlauea caldera with his Hawaiian guides on a tour of the Island of Hawaiʻi.  He...

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Volcano Watch — International volcano scientist training course returns to Hawaii

Volcano Watch — International volcano scientist training course returns to Hawaii

The Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes (CSAV) is holding its annual summer International Training Course in Volcano Hazards Monitoring. This...

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