Volcano Watch

Most people likely know that the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) uses seismometers and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for...

Today's Volcano Watch begins with a question: Can you guess when the next slow slip event will happen on Kīlauea Volcano's South Flank? As a hint, the...

In recent weeks, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) joined forces with several other agencies to talk about Mauna Loa at community events and...

If you visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's Jaggar Museum Overlook when the wind is calm, you might be able to hear the sounds of gas bubbles...

In November 2017, "Volcano Watch" entered its 27th year of publication. The long history of this column is, in large part, thanks to the U.S...

Astute visitors to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) website may have noticed that some recent earthquakes have negative depths. This does...

With recent attention focused on the need to be prepared for all hazards, this week's Volcano Watch offers ways to stay informed about Hawaiian...

About a year ago, the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea Volcano's summit was high enough that spattering on the lake surface was commonly...

With the Wolf Moon illuminating Kīlauea Caldera from above and the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake glowing below, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)...

On January 3, 2018, Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift Zone reaches its 35th birthday. 

Lava erupting from the active vent on the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has not entered the ocean or reached the Kamokuna lava delta during the past month...

Where do we stand today with big-picture knowledge of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa acquired in the past few decades?

January 2018 is Hawai‘i Island's 9th annual Volcano Awareness Month. 

A widely-held belief is that Thomas Jaggar, founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, was able to stop a Mauna Loa lava flow in 1935. But is it...

If you follow Kīlauea Volcano's ongoing East Rift Zone eruption, you are likely aware that when lava enters the ocean, it often forms new land. But...

Route 200, the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, crosses Humu‘ula Saddle, which separates Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, the two largest volcanoes on the Island of...

Scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory routinely collect lava samples from Kīlauea and use the chemistry of these samples to infer the...

What exactly do volcano threat rankings mean?

Using detailed geologic mapping and modeling of how a fluid (in this case, lava) responds to surface topography, USGS-HVO constructed nine maps...

The U.S. Geological Survey has produced a documentary, "Kīlauea Summit Eruption–Lava Returns to Halema‘uma‘u," to tell the story of the eruption, and...