Volcano Watch

"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...

During the past couple of months, those of us living in east Hawai`i have experienced several episodes of poor air quality, owing to disruptions of...

Reggie and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory were inextricably associated for 34 years. I was privileged to be part of the relationship for much of...

One of the most striking aspects of a newly formed lava flow is its barren and sterile nature. The process of colonization of such flows by plants and...

Here's a quiz for all you volcano junkies: What's the second highest volcano in North America? Hint—it was named by the Aztecs and has been erupting...

Kīlauea has been erupting for more than 16 years. Is this an exceptionally long time for an eruption to last? The answer is yes, but there have...