Volcano Watch

At the end of their shield-building stage, the summits of Hawaiian volcanoes commonly have large collapsed areas called calderas. Both Kīlauea and...

For the past two weeks, people have been asking, "Why isn't the eruption going at full speed?," and "Why isn't lava going into the ocean?"
 

The last two editions of this column have dealt with the intrusion of magma into the upper east rift zone of Kīlauea on September 12 and with the...

One of the ways we monitor Kīlauea's activity is by studying the release of volcanic gases. Gases like sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide are trapped...

Lava and lightning occasionally ignite fires in Hawaiian forests and shrublands where grass or other fine plant fuels are abundant and when the...

In our efforts to refine the geologic map of Haleakalā, we recently obtained radiocarbon ages from the youngest lava flows, those at La Perouse Bay...

The Hokule`a set sail from Hilo in June on an eight-month round-trip voyage to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The crew of this double-hulled sailing canoe...

The August 17, 1999, magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Turkey leveled thousands of buildings and resulted in over 10,000 deaths. This was the largest...

In the wild west of the 19th century, stagecoaches often had someone aboard whose job was to warn and protect the driver from marauding gangs and wild...

Kīlauea Volcano has been erupting nearly continuously for the past 6,068 days since activity started on January 3, 1983. Lava first entered the ocean...

How long do explosive periods last at Kīlauea? Early researchers concluded that the Keanakako`i Ash—the rocky deposits on the ground surface around...

All of sudden, there's an earthquake...or was it an earthquake? Where was it? How big was it? Does it signal the start of an eruption or magma shiftin...

On Friday, March 27, 1868, at 5:30 a.m., several whaling ships anchored in Kawaihae Harbor noticed a dense column of fume reflected by a bright light...

The islands of the Pacific are some of the most isolated in the world and have produced distinct floras and faunas. Endemism, whereby plants and...

Visitors to the Big Island's southeast coast commonly see a steam plume, the telltale sign that Kīlauea's eruption is sending lava into the ocean.

Many readers know that the island of Hawai`i is made of five volcanoes—Kīlauea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, Mauna Kea, and Kohala. 

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...