Hawai'i Volcano Blog

From subtle shakes that feel like wind to abrupt jolting that knocks dishes off the counter, living on this volcanically active island means accepting that the ground beneath our feet will not always keep still.

Their mission was to remove temporary webcams deployed during a recent eruption and move them to nearby Cone Peak.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported this morning that quake counts from the past 24 hours beneath the caldera and upper East Rift Zone decreased by about 65%.

There were about 50 quakes beneath the volcano’s summit and 100 under the upper East Rift Zone compared with 20 and 50 the day before.

Over the past 24 hours, there were approximately 25 earthquakes detected beneath Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and 95 earthquakes detected beneath the Upper East Rift Zone, mostly at depths of 0.6–1.8 miles beneath the ground surface.

As you turn left off Crater Rim Drive onto Chain of Craters Road, you pass by craters, thermal areas, and lava flows that showcase past volcanic activity in this area.

While there are no signs of an imminent eruption, the largest of these earthquakes were four magnitude-3.0 events near the intersection between Chain of Craters Road and Hilina Pali Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

The Big Island volcano is not erupting, but that seismic activity during the past day is more than triple the rate from several days ago.

Ed was a natural and gifted problem solver, and he worked closely with observatory staff to understand their challenges and needs.

In May of this year, a group of volcano geochemists and petrologists (scientists who study the chemistry, textures and origins of volcanic rocks) met in Hilo to discuss how to improve our understanding of magma storage and evolution at Kīlauea with these considerations in mind.

Ten years ago, inflation at Puʻuʻōʻō in May and June led to a new eruptive episode on the northeast flank of the cone.

Maunaiki Trail and Kaʻū Desert Trail past the Footprints Exhibit remain closed due to elevated gases and other volcanic hazards that remain at the eruption site.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory goes into detail about the latest Kīlauea eruption.

While the lava flow has ceased, air quality levels are slightly elevated at the Pāhala and Nāʻālehu air quality monitoring stations.

The new eruption first began at about 12:30 a.m. today. The most recent eruption in this region was in December 1974, which lasted only about 6 hours. At this time, it is not possible to say how long this new eruption will last.

The most recent Mauna Loa eruptions in 1975, 1984, and 2022 each offer unique insights into this volcano’s eruptive behavior.

At about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the number of earthquakes beneath the summit increased and low frequency energy pulses set in. Ground deformation also continues beneath Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the south caldera area.

One of the primary duties of IT personnel at HVO is supporting existing and emerging volcano monitoring and science goals. The observatory uses a variety of instruments to collect data on volcanic activity—including seismometers, gas analyzers, ground deformation sensors, and cameras.

It is not possible to say whether the recent heightened unrest and fluctuations in activity beneath the Big Island volcano will lead to an intrusion or eruption in the near future or simply continue as unrest. Changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for an eruption.

Seismicity remains above background levels. Ground deformation also continues beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and the south caldera region. Magma has been pressurizing the system beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and Kīlauea’s south caldera region for several weeks.