Hawai'i Volcano Blog
Hour-long Kīlauea eruption restarts within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
The eruption does not currently pose an immediate threat to human life or infrastructure.
Kīlauea on ‘watch’ following brief eruption on Sunday
According to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the brief eruption occurred near the National Park Nāpau campsite (east of Kānenuiohamo and Makaopuhi Crater and west of Nāpau Crater) on the middle East Rift Zone between 9 and 10 p.m.
Kīlauea alert level raised as magma intrusion in middle East Rift Zone continues
While seismic activity has decreased under the Big Island volcano since a dramatic spike Saturday evening, more than 340 shallow earthquakes detected in the vicinity of the intrusion during the past day and continuing ground deformation shows magma is still moving beneath the ground from the volcano’s summit storage chambers to the area between Maunaulu and Makaopuhi Crater.
Volcano Watch – Recent intrusions follow pattern of previous events
An intrusion is an injection of magma into rock, that causes ground deformation and seismicity but does not result in an eruption.
Volcano Watch – Webcam upgrades keep a sharp eye on Hawaiian volcanoes
The images taken over a century ago helped document the activity people were viewing in that era. Today, technology allows us to monitor beyond the capabilities of the human eye.
Volcano Watch: Introducing the Island of Hawaiʻi Interagency Operations Plan for Volcanic Eruptions
While Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have worked well together responding to volcanic unrest and eruptions for decades, the new interagency plan puts their practices down on paper.
Volcano Watch: Volcanic tremor or distant earthquake? Distinguishing seismic signals
Tremor is characterized by slowly emerging seismic waves that can last for minutes to many days when there are ongoing eruptions. It is important to identify tremor because this signal can be associated with fluid movement, which can sometimes indicate an increased chance of eruption.
Portion of Chain of Craters Road closed again as cracks widen with continued seismic activity under Kīlauea volcano
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park made the decision after another heightened period of unrest began earlier this week as earthquake activity increased in the upper East Rift Zone, which continued into this morning, albeit at a much lesser rate.
Seismicity still spiked in Kīlauea’s upper East Rift, but slightly lower than previous day
The unrest could represent another pulse of magma being supplied to the upper East Rift Zone following the intrusive event July 22-25 near Pauahi Crater.
Volcano Watch: A‘o pū mākou: We learn together with PIPES
The Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) is celebrating its 30th anniversary of growing the next generation of aloha ʻāina leaders in Hawai‘i and the Pacific through transformative place-based internships, mentorship, innovative programming, and strategic partnerships.
Maunaulu parking area open at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
The park reminds motorists to drive safely and obey all posted speed limitss. Motorcyclists especially should use extra caution and expect bumps and rough road conditions.
Kīlauea alert status raised to advisory
The current volcanic activity is within the national park boundaries and does not present a threat outside the park. and does not pose a threat outside of the park.
Volcano Watch – Kīlauea’s 2019-2020 lake: Recalling the watery intermission between eruptions
Monitoring and understanding the lake was important because the presence of water increased the possibility of violent phreatic (steam-driven) explosions once Kīlauea erupted again, as there have been such eruptions in Kīlauea’s past.
Volcano Watch: HVO bids farewell to its Uēkahuna location
HVO’s summit location was ideal for monitoring Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi’s two most active volcanoes.
Staff, community remember former Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Jaggar Museum as demo nears completion
The observatory’s tower on the edge of the Kīlauea caldera inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will be demolished today after work was postponed from Thursday. It is the last remnants of the former observatory and museum complex that was closed after it was damaged beyond repair in 2018 during the 2018 eruption, lava flow and summit eruption of the Big Island volcano.
Volcano Watch – What’s been a movin’ and a shakin’ in Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone?
Earthquakes began at a low rate in the UERZ within a few days after the June 3 eruption.
Over 500 quakes rattle Kīlauea volcano’s upper East Rift Zone
According to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the seismicity and elevated ground deformation rates suggests magma may be slowly moving out of the summit storage region.
Kīlauea volcano rattled by nearly 1,000 earthquakes in three days
Future eruptions are possible with little warning along the upper portions of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone.
Update: Kīlauea alert level downgraded back to advisory as earthquake activity decreases
“The pulsing nature of this activity may represent stages in intrusive activity beneath the upper East Rift Zone region. Additional seismic pulses or swarms may occur with little or no warning and result in either continued intrusion of magma or eruption of lava.” — Hawaiian Volcano Observatory officials
Volcano Watch: Measuring volcanic gases — the answer is blowin’ in the wind
Measurement of volcanic gases is critical for both public safety and understanding volcanic activity—and everything we measure relies on the wind.
