Arnold Okamura (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Volcano Watch — The 28th anniversary of a very damaging earthquake
In last week's article we mentioned that April is tsunami awareness month in Hawai`i and earthquakeawareness month in California.
Volcano Watch — April is Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Month
Early Monday morning, residents of the northern half of the island were awakened by a magnitude-3.9 earthquake. This was a gentle reminder that we live in one of most seismically active areas in the United States.
Volcano Watch — Professor Fusakichi Omori—an instrumental person at HVO
The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory currently operates a network of 65 seismic stations. Signals from each station, including the four on Maui, are radio-telemetered to HVO and recorded.
Volcano Watch — A millennium of eruptions in Hawai‘i
By anyone's reckoning, New Year's Day either starts a new millennium or ends its first year. What have Hawai`i's four active island volcanoes done during the past 1,000 years?
Volcano Watch — Residents on slopes of Popocatepetl Volcano heed evacuation notice
For the past two weeks, numerous reports of increased seismic activity heralding a possible large eruption at Popocatepetl Volcano in Mexico have been in the news. A disturbing commentary in the reports was that residents living on the slopes of the volcano were hesitant to comply with the government's order to evacuate.
Volcano Watch — Geodetic monitoring of the submarine south flank of Kīlauea Volcano
Last week we wrote about the large Kalapana earthquake of 1975. In the article we discussed the importance of repeated geodetic observations that monitored the accumulation of strain before the earthquake and allowed HVO researchers to forecast the event.
Volcano Watch — Lava rocks come in many colors
Driving along the Queen Ka`ahumanu highway from Kailua-Kona to Waikoloa, one passes a vast expanse of well-exposed lava rock. These flows are from Hualālai and Mauna Loa Volcanoes and are of various ages. If you slow down and look carefully, you are able to recognize individual flows by their distinctive surface texture, color, or luster.
Volcano Watch — Staff Changes at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Late last week geophysicist Michael Lisowski and his family left Hilo for Vancouver, Washington, and the Cascades Volcano Observatory.
Volcano Watch — Bench marks - monuments of the past for future use
An engineer for a local road-construction contractor recently called the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to report his company's disturbance of a bench mark. He realized the significance of this incident and properly reported it to the government agency that would be affected.
Volcano Watch — Atmospheric nuclear explosions and the source of Steaming Flats water
The topics for this article are presented in response to requests from our readers. Many weeks ago, a reader called to express her appreciation for the "Volcano Watch" column and asked if we would write about the Steaming Flats in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
Volcano Watch — Why is the water in `Ahalanui pond so warm?
Annual rainfall totals on the windward slopes of Mauna Loa and Kīlauea average up to nearly 10 meters (300 inches), yet there are no perennial streams on either volcano. Where does all the water go?
Volcano Watch — Programs at the USGS
The staff and associates of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Kīlauea Field Station extend a warm and cheerful holiday greeting to all of the faithful readers of our column.