#Big Island volcanoes

While old-fashioned eyes and a notebook are used when field teams are near a volcano, modern volcano observatories also use rapidly collected data and computers to support monitoring. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory computers are ‘trained’ to look for activity and send alerts when a volcano is changing or becoming active.

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.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the summit of Kīlauea volcano remains at a high level of inflation and eruptive activity is possible in the coming weeks or months. The unrest is expected to fluctuate as magma moves around the area. Over the past 24 hours, USGS recorded around 86 earthquakes in the Kīlauea summit region. Most of the earthquakes from the seismic swarm south of the caldera are at depths of around 1–3 km (0.6–2 mi) below the surface.

Kīlauea’s most recent eruption stopped on Sept. 16. This was the briefest of the five eruptions that have occurred at the summit of Kīlauea since 2020.  The eruption lasted about six days and, like the four eruptions before it, filled in a portion of the summit that collapsed in 2018.

Five years ago, volcanic activity at Kīlauea on the Big Island dramatically changed when magma intruded into the lower East Rift Zone. What happened at Kīlauea in 2018?

Geologists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory study the volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands and biologists at the research center study the ecosystems on them. 

HVO scales back warning levels at eruption site due to new data Monday.

Kīlauea volcano has stirred awake yet again.

Most residents of the Island of Hawaiʻi live on one of four potentially active volcanoes and probably have wondered about the threat of lava flows at one time or another. 

The journey from volcanic repose to a climactic eruption is like a mystery movie that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

The Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake celebrated its five-month anniversary by doing what we all like to do on our special day, taking a break.

The Puʻu ʻŌʻō collapse marked what scientists at the USGS have since determined was the end of a 35-year eruption that began in 1983.

The USGS “Did you feel it?” service received over 130 felt reports within the first hour of the earthquake, including one report from Kaua‘i.

On March 18, 2021, (HVO) recorded more than 40 earthquakes beneath the upper Ka‘ōiki seismic zone, about 13 miles WNW of Volcano.

How can you prepare for a Mauna Loa eruption? The most important thing you can do is to have a personal response plan — especially if you live in or near the magenta zone.

HVO scientists continue to keep a close eye on Kīlauea and the other volcanoes around the island, always analyzing and interpreting data for any hint of activity that may precede the next eruption, wherever it may be.

The most active volcano in the world, Kīlaueua had been erupting for decades, but the next several months would be characterized by the volcano’s most explosive activity in centuries.

The next USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) Scientist-in-Charge (SIC) has been named, and it’s a name that Island of Hawai‘i residents may be familiar with—Dr. Ken Hon. Ken will be the 21st Scientist-in-Charge filling a position originally created by Thomas A. Jaggar, who founded HVO in 1912 and directed it until 1940. Ken follows recent […]

Kīlauea’s south flank was the site of five earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater in the past year.

New eruptions at Kīlauea provide a glimpse into what is happening inside the volcano and its magma reservoirs.