Hawai'i Volcano Blog

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.

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.

An intrusion is an injection of magma into rock, that causes ground deformation and seismicity but does not result in an eruption.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HVO’s summit location was ideal for monitoring Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, Hawaiʻi’s two most active volcanoes.

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.

Earthquakes began at a low rate in the UERZ within a few days after the June 3 eruption.

According to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the seismicity and elevated ground deformation rates suggests magma may be slowly moving out of the summit storage region.

Future eruptions are possible with little warning along the upper portions of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone.

“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

Measurement of volcanic gases is critical for both public safety and understanding volcanic activity—and everything we measure relies on the wind.

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