Scientists walk inside Big Island volcano as earthquake numbers inch up slightly

Ever wondered what it would be like to walk inside a volcano?

Scientists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory don’t have to wonder. They’re doing it this week.

With the assistance of a helicopter, the scientists are working to upgrade a sesimic monitoring station on hardened black lava covering the crater floor near Uēaloha (Byron Ledge) of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island.

They began their work Monday, which is expected to continue from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and Thursday.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on Monday morning posted a photo on Facebook of the helicopter delivering sling loads of gear to scientists below at the monitoring station.

The pilot was shuttling gear between Uēaloha and the station below Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff).

Brett Dalrymple summed it up simply in a reply to the post: “Wow!”

“I want to go on that ride,” said Patrick McBride in a reply to the post.

The real question is, have those scientists — as they’ve walked inside the caldera — felt any of the earthquakes that continue to rumble under the volcanoes summit and upper East Rift Zone?

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported just before 9 a.m. today that during the past day, earthquake activity beneath those two areas increased slightly.

There were about 30 quakes detected under the summit and 97 under the upper East Rift Zone, mostly at depths of up to 1.2 miles from the surface. That’s compared with the day before, when 27 earthquakes at the summit and 85 beneath the upper East Rift Zone were detected.

All of the earthquakes in the summit and upper East Rift Zone regions during the past day were smaller than magnitude 3 earthquakes.

While still somewhat elevated as unrest continues, all of earthquake counts during the past day and several weeks have been well below those recorded during the June 27 to July 1 upper East Rift Zone seismic swarm.

It’s been several weeks of ups and downs under Kīlauea since the short-lived June 3 eruption in the Southwest Rift Zone.

Gradual longer-term inflation of the summit and upper rift zones has also continued.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says substantial increases in seismicity and/or deformation could result in a new eruptive episode, but presently there are no signs of imminent eruption.

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the middle and lower East Rift Zone and lower Southwest Rift Zone remain low.

Recent eruptive activity and the ongoing unrest have been restricted to the summit and upper rift zone regions.

Following the June 3 eruption, magma began repressurizing the storage system beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and the south caldera region. That has been causing earthquakes in the caldera south of Halemaʻumaʻu and in the upper East Rift Zone.

It is not possible at this time to say whether this activity will lead to an intrusion or eruption in the near future, or simply continue as seismic unrest. Changes in the character and location of unrest can happen quickly — as can the potential for eruption.

However, there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time.

Kīlauea’s volcano alert level remains at Advisory.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will provide daily updates. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a volcanic activity notice will be issued.

If you would like more information, call 808-967-8862 for a Kīlauea activity summary by phone or email to askHVO@usgs.gov.