Hawai'i Volcano Blog

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.

This week, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists dig a little deeper and share new discoveries they are making about the erupsions 100 years ago by examining the ash deposited during the events.

Kīlauea began erupting explosively 100 years ago this week, for the first time in nearly a century. The eruption lasted for about 17 days, killing one person and injuring others.

Earthquakes are clustered in the upper East Rift Zone as well as the south caldera region.

About 140 of the temblors from Monday to Tuesday morning were located in the upper East Rift Zone, from Keanakākoʻi crater to the intersection with Hilina Pali Road. The other 90 were located in the caldera south of Halemaʻumaʻu.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory notes inflation is occurring in the caldera south of Halemaʻumaʻu – activity similar to conditions prior to last week’s period of heightened unrest.

Areas accessed by Chain of Craters Road, including coastal backcountry sites, Hilina Pali Road, Kulanaokuaiki Campground, Nāpau, and Pepeiao Cabin are now open.

Since midnight of April 27, over 1,600 earthquake events have been recorded on Kīlauea on the Big Island.

Emerging technology in the field of “quantum” science may aid in the ability to forecast volcanic activity.

The global volcano monitoring community routinely installs clusters of acoustic sensors called arrays on the flanks of volcanoes that can measure the audible noise (sounds we can hear) and the inaudible noise, which have frequencies that human ears can’t sense (infrasound).

The buildings to be taken down are located on the Uēkahuna bluff at the summit of Kīlauea. They are the former Jaggar Museum, and two buildings used by the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the Okamura Building and the Geochemistry Annex.

Pico Basile is a shield volcano located at the center of the enigmatic Cameroon Volcanic Line in western Africa.

This relationship, between volcano observatories and their emergency managers, was highlighted at the recent “Cities on Volcanoes” meeting in Antigua, Guatemala.

Seven Hawaiʻi residents attended, hailing from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense and University of Hawaiʻi (Hilo and Mānoa).

People coming to the park should expect limited parking, delays at the entrance station and the potential for temporary area closures, especially if an eruption occurs. In addition to reduced parking near Kīlauea Visitor Center, half the parking lot at Uēkahuna is reserved for the construction project.

Dike intrusion is one of the fundamental processes for magma migration at volcanoes around the world.

February is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian Language Month, and an opportunity to appreciate the value that the Native Hawaiian language has provided to volcanology, especially here in Hawaiʻi nei.

The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory “lavas” working with our partners at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and for Valentine’s Day we wanted to highlight some of the things we appreciate about this relationship.

On Feb. 3, 2024, a team of HVO scientists documented new ground cracks in three areas of the Maunaiki Trail in the Ka‘ū Desert, caused by the intrusion southwest of Kīlauea’s summit caldera.

The overall decrease in seismicity and deformation suggests that this event is waning.