Volcano Watch

Each summer, staff members of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have participated in student training programs with the University of Hawaii at Hilo...

Two magnitude-4.4 earthquakes rocked the Big Island this month. The first occurred on June 3 and was located 13 km (7.8 mi) east of Waimea at a depth...

If you ask volcanologists what the most dangerous part of their job is, they are likely to answer, "flying in helicopters."

Over the years HVO has attempted to maintain its scientific energy, enthusiasm, and insights by melding a permanent staff with a smaller cadre of...

Lava flows are one of the most common hazards produced by active volcanoes. Here in Hawai`i, they may endanger property but seldom endanger people's...

"Wekiu" is the Hawaiian word for top or summit. This name was given to Mauna Kea's tallest cinder cone, which reaches 13,796 feet in elevation and is...

May 18 marks the anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, which laid waste to over 520 square kilometers (200 square miles) of forest and...

The shaking was finally over. Lower Puna returned to normal following the calamitous episode of ground cracking and subsidence in April 1924. But it...

As we enter the month of May, we are remiss in not remembering that April was "Tsunami Awareness Month". April was chosen as "Tsunami Awareness Month"...

After an earthquake felt by residents of Hawai`i County, we at the U S Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are often asked what the...

Boaters, hikers, pilots, and other outdoor enthusiasts can use hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to locate themselves or to navigate...

An ancient Japanese proverb says that the most recent disaster fades from memory just before the next one strikes. Recently our friend Garret Hew of...

It started innocently enough. The long-lived lava lake disappeared from Halema`uma`u on February 21. Seventy-eight earthquakes were recorded in March...

Earth scientists know a lot about Mauna Loa above sea level but much less about it under water. Studies have naturally focused on the easily...

One common saying in the real estate business is that location is everything. This is particularly true from both geological and biological...

Kīlauea's summit magma chamber is connected to the rift-zone vents like a water tank linked by hose to an irrigation system. The hose comprises the...

Among the many tools earth scientists use, the measurement of gravity variations over the earth's surface is one of the most useful for studying...

Some readers will know that the largest eruption in the world during the 20th century took place in Alaska in 1912, producing the Valley of Ten...

This past week, the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) hosted 68 Japan Broadcasting Company (NHK) personnel and associates...

Imagine this scene: the crew at the Hilo Fire Department receives a call telling them to stand by because an arsonist is setting a fire. If the blaze...