Volcano Watch

No matter how old, a field geologist is a student. The teacher is the earth, the classroom the field area, and the textbook the deposit under study...

As we watched tropical storm Flossie weaken and change course from the path that would have landed it directly on the Island of Hawai‘i, a collective...

When Mount St. Helens erupted explosively in 1980, most people were unaware that the U.S. ranks as one of the top countries in the world in the number...

If you’re inside a building (home or office) and the ground beneath it begins to shake, what should you do? Stand in a doorway? Run outside?

Observers of natural phenomena have long known that large earthquakes can trigger volcanic eruptions. For example, Charles Darwin reported that at...

Hawaiians have occupied the lower portion of the Hawaiian archipelago for at least 800 years. They experienced many more earthquakes and eruptions in...

The July 4 holiday is both a great time to spend with friends and family and also a time to reflect on our nation's origins.

Cartography, the art or science of making maps, is alive and well at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO).

Most people know that the Island of Hawai‘i has many earthquakes, including several every year that are strong enough to be felt. They are caused by...

Kīlauea's East Rift Zone eruption surpassed 30 years of activity in January 2013. But this month marks the 30th anniversary of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, which became...

On May 28-30, 2013, two Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists participated in a workshop on "Satellite-Data-Driven Detection, Tracking and...

There are times when the USGS motto, "Science for a Changing World," seems to be specifically crafted to describe studies at Hawaiian volcanoes.

Most of us feel fortunate if we never go near a dangerous battlefield. Yet, dozens, if not hundreds, of people are knowingly—or unwittingly—doing just...

Some volcanic eruptions have a much higher overall impact on society than others.

Do you, like most people, think that eruptions in Hawaii are confined to the Island of Hawai‘i? If so, you may be surprised to learn that Haleakalā...

At the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), we continuously strive to improve our capability to monitor the volcanoes that we live upon.

Sometimes a geologic study resembles a crime scene investigation (CSI), as seen on TV. You piece together information from eyewitnesses and compare it...

At 9:28 a.m., HST, on April 3, 2013, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's (HVO) seismographic network recorded a magnitude-3.2 earthquake. This...

Petrology, the study of the origin, or genesis, of rocks, is an important aspect of our multi-faceted approach to monitoring the current eruptions of...

Over the past six months, the pace of Kīlauea's 30-year-long ongoing eruption has quickened. This follows the quietest period—spanning most of 2012—of...