Volcano Watch

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is to monitor the volcanoes of Hawaii, to study the geological processes...

Soufriere Hills Volcano on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean became active on July 18, 1995. This is the first eruption of the volcano in...

For several weeks we have been fielding calls from anxious people in Kona asking about an imminent eruption of Hualālai Volcano.

Last week we discussed the different land surveying techniques HVO scientists use to monitor the swelling and movement of active volcanoes.
 

The ground around an active volcano swells, deflates, or shifts as magma moves in and out of the volcano's underground plumbing system. The...

Hawaii is a land of rugged beauty and untamed natural forces swathed in a beguiling gentleness that is unmatched anywhere else on Earth.
 

The formation of new islands invariably sparks the imagination. On June 6th a submarine eruption began at Metis Shoal in the Tonga Islands. A passing...

On Monday and Tuesday of this past week, large waves generated by a storm near New Zealand caused considerable damage on the west coast of Hawai'i...

Hawaii is seismically very active. During a typical month, there are invariably several earthquakes that are large enough to be felt. This past month...

The eruption along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone continues with little change. Lava from two vents on the south and west sides of the Pu'u 'O'o cone is...

Maps showing volcanic hazard zones for the Big Island were first prepared in 1974 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The main function of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is to reduce the risk from volcanic activity.
 

The current eruption along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone continues with passive effusion of lava. The lava is transported underground to the coast along...

Sitting at lunch on Wednesday, many residents of the island of Hawaii might have thought that someone or something had kicked their chairs. Of course...

The 12-year-long eruption on Kīlauea's east rift zone continues, with vents on the southwestern flank of the Pu`u `O`o cone feeding directly into lava...

A team of volcanologists from the U.S. Geological Survey has been monitoring an eruption that began just after midnight on April 3 on Fogo in the Cape...

Many of the islands that dot the center of the Pacific Ocean are made up of active, dormant, or extinct volcanoes, whose geologic histories are...

April 10th marks the aniversary of the 1926 eruption of Mauna Loa Volcano. The eruption was preceded by several widely felt earthquakes about one hour...

The 12-year long eruption along Kīlauea's east rift zone continued without interruption during the past two weeks. 

Last Sunday evening, March 19, the Hawaiian Islands were shaken by a moderate earthquake located south of Kahoolawe and west of Hawaii. The earthquake...