Unified Interior Regions
Hawaii
The Pacific Region has nine USGS Science Centers in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions.
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Map of area around front of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map uses a satellite image acquired in March 2014 (provided by Digital Globe) as a base to show the area around the front of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow.
Large-scale map of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map shows the distal part of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow in relation to nearby Puna communities.
Satellite image of area around front of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map uses a satellite image acquired in March 2014 (provided by Digital Globe) as a base to show the area around the front of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow.
Large-scale map of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map shows the distal part of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow in relation to nearby Puna communities.
Satellite image of area around front of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map uses a satellite image acquired in March 2014 (provided by Digital Globe) as a base to show the area around the front of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow.
Small-scale map of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This small-scale map shows Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow in relation to lower Puna.
Large-scale map of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map shows the distal part of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow in relation to nearby Puna communities.
Satellite image of area around front of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
This large-scale map uses a satellite image acquired in March 2014 (provided by Digital Globe) as a base to show the area around the front of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow.
Thermal overlay of distal part of flow field
This map overlays a georegistered mosaic of thermal images collected during a helicopter overflight of the distal part of Kīlauea’s active East Rift Zone lava flow on January 6 at about 11:30 AM.
Satellite image of area around front of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone lava flow
Image showing a close-up of the June 27th lava flow in the area of Kaohe Homesteads and Pāhoa.
Episode 61 (Peace Day) flow field
Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.
Episode 61 (Peace Day) flow field
Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.
Rockfalls continue to change the shape of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater
This video was taken during an overflight of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater on Kīlauea Volcano's middle East Rift Zone. No major changes were observed, but the shape of the crater continues to be altered by continued rockfalls.
3D model of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater - March 18, 2019
This 3D model of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater was constructed from thermal images taken during a recent helicopter overflight. White areas show warm spots in the crater. Despite the absence of active lava in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, changes at the crater have continued since magma drained from beneath it on April 30, 2018. The shape of the crater continues to change through occasional small
Sulfur deposits forming in the new Halema‘uma‘u crater
Telephoto zoom of the largest sulfur deposit forming on the NE talus wall in Halema‘uma‘u. The view is from the
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's K3cam. Images can be viewed on HVO's website at https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/webcam.html?webcam=K3cam.
test flight of an unmanned aerial system
A USGS pilot and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas geochemist prepare to conduct a test flight of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) on Kīlauea Volcano in November 2018. This UAS was outfitted with a prototype miniaturized multi-gas sensor for the detection of volcanic gases emitted by Kīlauea, including sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.
Explosive eruption columns of ash rising
Explosive eruption columns of ash rising from Halema‘uma‘u at 11:15 a.m. on May 18, 1924 (top) and at 11:05 a.m. on May 15, 2018 (bottom) look similar. Researchers are re-evaluating early assumptions about the role groundwater played in triggering these explosive eruptions at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano and are now looking at the build-up of gases from retreating magma
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Map of selected earthquakes beneath a portion of southeast Hawaii
Map of selected earthquakes beneath a portion of southeast Hawai`i from May 4, 2018 to March 14, 2019, showing principally aftershocks following May 4, 2018 M6.9 earthquake. Black dots indicate epicenters of 13,083 earthquakes located during this time interval; yellow stars show locations of the M6.9 earthquake and the March 13, 2019 M5.5 earthquake.
Lava flow thickness 2018
This preliminary thickness map of Kīlauea Volcano's 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows was calculated by subtracting pre-eruption ground surface elevations from post-eruption ground surface elevations mapped with USGS Unmanned Aerial System (drone) flights. The drones acquired 2,800 aerial photos from which 1.5 billion common points were automatically selected by Surface
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Wind turbine towering over trees
A wind turbine rising above Oʻahu trees forms part of a wind energy installation where USGS bat research is taking place.
Equipment set up at wind energy site
Bat detection and monitoring equipment set up below a turbine at an Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi wind energy site.
Windmills at sunset, Oʻahu
Turbines at a wind energy site on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.
UAS pilots at Kilauea
Department of Interior UAS pilots from left to right – Elizabeth Pendleton (USGS, Woods Hole, MA), Colin Milone (Office of Aviation Services, AK), John Vogel (USGS; Flagstaff, AZ), Sandy Brosnahan (USGS, Woods Hole, MA), Brandon Forbes (USGS; Tucson, AZ), Chris Holmquist-Johnson (USGS; Fort Collins, CO), Hannah Dietterich (USGS; Anchorage, AK), and Emily Sturdivant (USGS,
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Fissure 8 cone and 8-mile lava flow
An aerial view, collected from a USGS UAS, of Hawai‛i’s fissure 8 cone, and the start of the 8-mile lava flow to reach the ocean entry point.
Throughout the month, Federal, State, and Local government agencies, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, and other organizations will offer outreach events to increase awareness of Hawaii's tsunami hazards.
According to a study by USGS scientists, polluted, low-pH groundwater discharging onto a shallow coral reef off Kahekili Beach Park in west Maui, Hawai‘i, further increases seawater acidity and exposes corals to nitrate concentrations 50 times higher than normal.
Honolulu, Hawaii – Control efforts such as the removal of shipwrecks and application of chlorine may help mitigate the damaging effects of corallimorph, which is a type of invasive anemone, on valuable coral reefs in the Central Pacific Ocean, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.
This week marks 150 years since the largest earthquake to strike Hawaii in the last two centuries. Estimated to have been at least magnitude-7.9, this earthquake struck near Pāhala in the Ka‘ū District of the Island of Hawai‘i on April 2, 1868.
For the 10th anniversary of Kīlauea Volcano's summit eruption, USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory research geologist Matt Patrick talks about his work monitoring the lava lake in the Halema'uma'u Crater.
In this new USGS Open-File Report, artwork is matched with the approximate date and volcanological context of the scene, showing eruptions at Kīlauea and Mauna Loa in the late 19th century.
A recent issue of Volcano Watch [https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html?vwid=1232] looked at what the level of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u can tell us about how Kīlauea works and the hazards it poses.
On March 14, HVO's webcam [MLcam] captured this image of a double rainbow.
A little more than ten years ago, conditions around Kīlauea Volcano's summit were much different than today. The caldera floor was open to the public, and the air above it was normally clear. Halema‘uma‘u was an impressive sight, but peacefully in repose.
This study implements the first continuous, real-time operational routine for tracking lava lake surface motion, applying the technique to the persistent lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano.
To set the stage for next week's Volcano Watch about the upcoming anniversary of Kīlauea Volcano's current summit eruption, this week we revisit the history of past Halema‘uma‘u eruptions. We do so by reprising parts of a Volcano Watch article written in December 2008, soon after the ongoing Halema‘uma‘u lava lake reached a milestone as Kīlauea's longest summit eruption since 1924.
Most people likely know that the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) uses seismometers and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for monitoring volcanoes. However, fewer people may be aware of the full extent of our volcano-monitoring toolkit.
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Locations
Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
Phone: (808) 985-6420
Fax: (808) 967-8568
Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center
Pacific Islands Water Science Center
Phone: 808-690-9600
Fax: 808-690-9599
O'ahu Field Station
Phone: 808-690-9571
Fax: 808-690-9599
National Wildlife Health Center, Honolulu Field Station
Phone: (808) 792-9520
Fax: (808) 792-9596