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Remote volcano monitoring stations on the Island of Hawai‘i are powered via solar panels that charge a suite of batteries. The power system at the Hualālai repeater station, which relays data from nearby stations back to the observatory, was upgraded in 2023 to use lithium batteries (white boxes in the photo). USGS photo by M. Warren.

At the Hualālai repeater station, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers installed a voice repeater that will enable radio communications between disparate locations. USGS photo by M. Warren.

The Hualālai repeater site is located on the southeast side of Hualālai volcano, which erupted most recently in 1800-1801. At an elevation of 2,160 meters (7,090 feet) above sea level, the repeater site is often enshrouded in fog. A suite of solar panels is used to generate power for the site, stored locally in lithium batteries. USGS photo by M. Warren.

Map of Island of Hawaiʻi, highlighting the four active or potentially active volcanoes of the Island, the number of people living on each volcano based on 2020 census data, major roads (transportation corridors) and minor roads (proxy for population density), when each volcano last erupted, and each volcano’s national threat assessment designation.

To conduct the Hualālai campaign survey, HVO staff requested permission from land managers before navigating to benchmarks cemented into the ground surface. Data collected at each location will together provide a picture of how the ground surface of Hualālai volcano has changed since the previous survey in 2015.

The HVO geodetic network manager sets up a campaign GPS unit at station KIPA on Kipahe'e crater (elevation 2331 m or 7647 ft) of Hualālai. USGS photo by A. Flinders.