Volcano Watch

Last fall, residents of Kalaupapa settlement on the Island of Moloka‘i began reporting unusual sulfurous odors coming from the direction of Kauhakō...

The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recently honored Hawai‘i Island students who created winning posters celebrating the...

"Wow!" "I didn’t know that!" "Cool!"

More than 300 employees—scientists, technicians, and support staff—have worked at HVO over the past century, but the observatory could not have been...

From 1912 to 1950, HVO used mechanical seismometers, called tromometers (derived from "tremble"), that recorded the vibrations sensed by a long...

Last week's Volcano Watch described the events and efforts that led up to Thomas Jaggar's arrival on Kīlauea to start monitoring the volcano.

After almost three years of preparing and fund raising, Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., arrived at the rim of Kīlauea on January 17, 1912, and began a...

As many are undoubtedly aware, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) marks the Centennial of its founding in January 2012 (see http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov...

Every December, an interesting phenomenon occurs in downtown San Francisco.

Great oaks from little acorns grow. Who would have thought that a little eruption in a small pit crater would be the seed from which a great oak of...

January 2012 is just around the corner, and staff at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) are busily preparing for the many public events...

Hikers reaching the rim of Moku‘āweoweo, Mauna Loa's summit caldera, can gaze across the expanse of lava—erupted in 1984—that covers most of the...

During the past several weeks, many volcanoes have been active around the world. While we focus on our home volcano, it can be very interesting to...

Popular cultural phenomena come and go: Elvis Presley, Mickey Mouse, and hula hoops have all come in and out of fashion repeatedly. But for many...

With the 100th anniversary of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory fast approaching, many scientists at the observatory are thinking about how the current...

Without the dramatic flourish of recent events, lava is quietly erupting from Kīlauea's newest fissure, which opened September 21 on the east rim of...

On October 19, 2011, a magnitude-4.5 earthquake struck on the northwest flank of Mauna Kea at 2:10 p.m., HST, followed by more than 50 aftershocks...

Above Hilo’s iconic Rainbow Falls on the Wailuku River is Boiling Pots. This area, named for the many "potholes" in the river bed, churns and roils...

What a difference a century (or even a few years) can make! As noted in an earlier Volcano Watch (June 5, 2011), 1911 was a dynamic year for science...

One hundred years ago, Frank Perret, world-famous volcanologist, was watching the lava lake action in Halema‘uma‘u Crater. Honolulu businessmen and...