Volcano Watch

Bottled soda, when opened suddenly after shaking, is commonly used as an analogy for volcanic eruptions. Perhaps the first use of this analogy for...

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) changed the Volcano Alert Level and Aviation Color Code for Mauna Loa Volcano from NORMAL/GREEN to...

During the 1950s, a decade of major change in volcano monitoring, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was moving from the mechanical into the...

This week marks the one-year anniversary of when the June 27th lava flow, named for the date in 2014 that it began erupting from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea...

Does lava continue to flow exactly as it did on land or does it behave differently after it enters the ocean?

In early 1918, visitors swarmed to Kīlauea Volcano to see a splendid show. The molten lake in Halema‘uma‘u had been rising and the pit was almost full...

As part of our monitoring of subsurface activity at Mauna Loa, we recently conducted a series of measurements of the force of gravity at various...

For 15 years, we've been on a journey of discovery through Kīlauea's volcanic past. Today we review what's been learned on that journey and how new...

In our June 25, 2015, “Volcano Watch,” we described how old maps and newspaper articles provide valuable insights into historic accounts of eruptions...

During the past 4 months, the June 27th lava flow, named for the date in 2014 that it began erupting from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift...

Ping! It's 2:12 a.m., and I (a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist) am still groggy as I read an automated text from HVO's computer system.

Dr. Jim Kauahikaua, a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, recently received a Citation for Meritorious...

The planet Venus has been especially prominent in the evening sky these past few weeks, joining Jupiter and a waxing Moon in a sparkling, slow-motion...

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists extract as much insight as possible from historic accounts of eruptions, and then combine that...

The dramatic opening of the Overlook crater within Halema‘uma‘u Crater on March 19, 2008, heralded a new period of activity for long time Kīlauea...

One of the marvelous aspects of our modern, internet-connected world is the ability to share vast amounts of data at the speed of light across the...

Hawai’i’s mid-Pacific location makes it an excellent meeting ground for globally dispersed collaborators of all kinds.

Exploration of volcanoes within our solar system has been much like the exploration of Hawaiian volcanoes in the 19th century: sporadic.

Kīlauea made the news this past month with many changes, including an elevated lava lake level at the volcano's summit, which provided spectacular...

The recent high lava lake levels at Kīlauea Volcano have caught the attention of visitors and kama‘aina alike. But we shouldn't forget that unrest at...