#Kīlauea

Dive beneath the solidified crust on the floor of the crater to explore the complicated mix of molten material below. 

Like fortune tellers who peer into a crystal ball for insight, volcanologists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory peer into the tiny crystals contained in lava flows to learn about the magma’s journey before it was erupted onto the surface. 

The state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation awarded a $9.2 million contract to dredge Pohoiki Bay to Goodfellows Bros., the lowest bidder on the project.

Native Hawaiian oral traditions record a rich history of the changing volcanic landscape in Hawaiʻi. Interweaving cultural knowledge with scientific disciplines can provide a more complete understanding of past events, including the largest known lava flow eruption of Kīlauea.

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.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is reporting an “abrupt increase” in seismic activity recently in the upper East Rift Zone of Kīlauea.

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

Over the past few years, eruptions of Kīlauea volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i have happened in remote regions and lava flows have not directly threatened communities. However, the approaching anniversary of a lava flow crisis a decade ago reminds us that eruptions on Kīlauea have the potential to cause damage and island-wide disruption. 

From Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, 2024, a magma intrusion into Kīlauea’s flank, southwest of the summit caldera, was the focus of attention at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

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 in Hawaiʻi nei. 

Seismic activity at the summit and along the southwest Koaʻe fault system continues following an intrusion of magma into the area at the end of January, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports. The HVO says despite recent activity, Kīlauea volcano is not currently erupting.

In each of these places—on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Kīlauea in 2018, Cumbre Vieja, and Nyiragongo—the impact of the eruption extends far beyond the margins of the lava flow.  Large numbers of nearby residents have been displaced, and their lives severely disrupted, even if the flow spared their property. 

To help improve data quality, shallow boreholes are being drilled that will house new instruments and allow them to be thermally insulated. These new seismometers have both broadband and strong motion capabilities, and the seismic data quality is proving to be excellent, according to researcher technicians with the University of Hawaiʻi.

There is no tsunami threat to Maui following a preliminary magnitude 4.6 earthquake, located in the deep ocean northeast of Maui. The quake occurred at 11:29 a.m. on Thursday, July 13, 2023.

The agency reports that lava fountain heights have decreased since the eruption onset on June 7, but remain up to about 30 feet high. 

A shallow earthquake swarm has been detected beneath the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, accompanied by significant surface tilt excursion, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. HVO scientists say resumption of eruptive activity at Kīlauea summit is likely imminent.

Over the past two decades, both scientists and members of the public have anticipated the occurrence of slow slip events (SSEs) on Kīlauea’s south flank.  These events are recorded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s (HVO) continuous GPS network, which show as much as 2 cm (0.75 inches) of increased seaward motion of the flank over 2-3 days—equivalent to about a M6 earthquake.

Measurements of gravity can be used to determine how mass is distributed beneath a volcano.  At Kīlauea, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory performs routine microgravity surveys to monitor volcanic activity and to determine changes in gravity.

Often, the earliest signs of volcanic unrest, before lava is seen, are provided by earthquake activity occurring deeper within the Earth than where other volcano monitoring capabilities can reach. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the current activity in Halemaʻumaʻu is the occasional oozing of lava around the edges of the entire crater while the lava surface is rising. Has that phenomenon been reported before in any accounts of previous Kīlauea activity?