Volcano Watch

On April 6, 2004, Anatahan volcano in the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) awakened from five months of slumber since its first...

A series of small earthquakes struck the Three Sisters volcanic center in the central Oregon Cascades on March 23-25. At the same time, staff members...

You may have read in the news lately about the island of Kaho`olawe, the target isle. After suffering years of degradation, first by feral goats, then...

Seismometers located across the island detect earthquakes and radio the electronic signals back to HVO. The arrival of the signals at HVO might seem...

If a sinkhole collapses in your back yard, where and how did the stuff disappear? Did an underground opening already exist (such as a lava tube), did...

March 25 marks the 20th anniversary of the most recent eruption of Mauna Loa. The eruption was preceded by roughly three years of increasing numbers...

When we think of the negative impact that volcanoes have on people, the local geographic area of the eruption generally comes to mind. Ash, lava, and...

The worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century occurred in 1902 on Martinique, an island in the French West Indies.

About 2.5 km (1.5 miles) down the Hilina Pali Road in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park are two tiny kipuka that help geologists decipher obscure parts...

People frequently ask, "What's with all these eruptions I hear about? Is volcanic activity increasing?" Indeed, a plot of reported eruptions over the...

In 2003, the seismic data analysts at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) examined and archived 10,591 earthquakes on the...

Last week, the judging phase of the Hawai`i District Science Fair was completed and the awards given to deserving young scientists. The staff at the...

Any institution, whether commercial, academic, or governmental, requires novel ideas to thrive. Fresh ideas come from training, sudden insights (the...

As reported in the previous Volcano Watch, a new vent opened on the south flank of Pu`u `O`o two weeks ago, on Sunday, January 18. The behavior of the...

If Pu`u `O`o were human, it would make a great baseball pitcher. It throws blazing fastballs, slow change-ups, and sharp curveballs that leave the...

Since the beginning of the New Year, much attention has been focused on Earth's celestial neighbor, the planet Mars. Though the main goal of the...

Lava flows stopped pouring into the sea on the south shoreline of Kīlauea 6 months ago. Few imagined that it would mark the beginning of a progressive...

Arnold Okamura retired on January 3 after more than 42 years with the U.S. Geological Survey, 39 at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. His tenure at...

The Volcano Watch of December 19, 2002 detailed an oceanographic cruise studying the 1877 submarine eruption of Mauna Loa in Kealakekua Bay. Only two...

Despite its notoriety as Hawai`i's youngest volcano, Lo`ihi remains a submarine mystery for most of us. This is because fieldwork there is limited to...