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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Kīlauea Volcano — Lava Fountain
The fissure 8 lava fountain pulses to heights of 50 m (
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Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8
Morning overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone by the Civil Air Patrol provides context for the location of the
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Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8
In this video taken from the Leilani Estates subdivision, lava at
Kīlauea's LERZ
Morning overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone by the Civil Air Patrol provides context for the location of the fissure 8 fountain and lava channel within the lower Puna District. View is to the north. Image courtesy of Civil Air Patrol.
Kīlauea Volcano — Kapoho Bay and Vacationland
Lava from fissure 8 travels about 13 km (8 mi) down a well established channel (visible in the center of the image) to an ocean entry at Kapoho. Lava is building a seaward delta that is approximately 320 acres in size. The view is to the southwest with the Kapoho area in the lower right. The white
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Fissure activity and active ocean entry in Kīlauea's LERZ
Fissure 8 produces a lava fountain that pulses to heights of 55 to 60 m (185 to 200 ft). Spattering has built a cinder cone that partially encircles fissure 8, now 51 m (170 ft) tall at its highest point. The steam in the foreground is the result of heavy morning rain falling on warm (not hot) tephra (lava fragments).
Kīlauea Volcano — Vacationland Ocean Entry
View of the active ocean entry in the vicinity of Vacationland. The interaction of hot lava with the ocean creates "laze", a corrosive seawater plume laden with hydrochloric acid and fine volcanic particles that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs, but that dissipates quickly with distance.
Kīlauea Volcano — Halema`uma`u Slumping
At Kīlauea Volcano's summit, inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halema‘uma‘u continues in response to ongoing subsidence. In this view to the southwest taken after this morning's event, a section of dark-colored wall rock (center left) has detached and dropped downward into the crater.
Live stream camera captures subsidence at Halema‘uma‘u
On June 15, 2018, a small explosion occurred at Kīlauea's summit at 11:56:39 AM HST. The event was captured by a live streaming camera and that footage is presented in this video clip. The
Kīlauea Volcano — Fissure 8 Lava Fountain
Photograph taken during helicopter overflight captures fissure 8 lava fountain.
seismologists install a nodal geophone on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zo
University of Utah seismologists install a nodal geophone on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone in June 2018. This instrument was part of a network of 82 seismometers deployed temporarily this summer to help scientists study the magma transport system beneath the volcano's eruption sites.
On June 13, 1950, Honolulu was suddenly blanketed by the thickest haze seen since recordkeeping began there in 1906.
In the first ecosystem-wide study of changing sea depths at five large coral reef tracts in Florida, the Caribbean and Hawai’i, U.S. Geological Survey researchers found the sea floor is eroding in all five places, and the reefs cannot keep pace with sea level rise. As a result, coastal communities protected by the reefs are facing increased risks from storms, waves and erosion.
Ben Gaddis was recently honored by the U.S. Geological Survey for his many years of service as HVO's volunteer photo archivist.
Small delta at the ocean entry
Here are some tips from for essential lava field fashion from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists who walk miles on Kīlauea lava flows—both new and old.
Small delta has formed at ocean entry; evidence of recent delta collapses
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff, alumni and friends recently gathered to honor the long and fruitful career of Jeff Sutton, our recently retired colleague.
Hawai‘i is not the only island in the United States with an ongoing eruption involving hot lava and cold water.
Small delta at Kamokuna ocean entry
The ash deposits on the southeastern part of the Island of Hawai‘i have fortuitously presented an agricultural opportunity in an otherwise rocky and hilly landscape. An underappreciated fact is that the explosive nature of our volcanoes provided this opportunity.
A 3D tour of Kīlauea's summit lava lake
Approximately 500 Puaiohi exist in the wild, all on Kauai
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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