#kilauea caldera
Kīlauea eruption continues with spectacular lava fountains reaching 100 feet
The eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Monday, Dec. 23, continues this morning. Over the past day, vents in the southwest portion of the caldera have continued producing a fan of lava flows covering the western portion of the crater floor during sustained lava fountaining.
Volcano Watch — Kīlauea summit erupts again
Kīlauea began erupting again on Dec. 23, 2024. This is the eighth eruption of Kīlauea, and the sixth within Kaluapele, since 2020. These previous eruptions within Kaluapele lasted from less than one week to more than a year in duration. This history of activity, along with continued summit inflation, suggests that eruptive activity may continue to pause and resume in the coming days or weeks.
Heightened unrest at summit region of Kīlauea Volcano
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory issued an information statement on Thursday night saying the summit region of Kīlauea is currently experiencing heightened unrest, but no eruptive activity.
Volcano Watch: Appreciating contributions of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi to volcanology
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.
Kīlauea volcano alert level is at Watch/Orange as seismic swarm continues
Scientists continue to monitor Kīlauea as an ongoing seismic swarm rumbles beneath the Koaʻe fault zone, 5-8 miles southwest of the caldera.
VIDEO: Kīlauea lava fountains remain about 30 feet high
The agency reports that lava fountain heights have decreased since the eruption onset on June 7, but remain up to about 30 feet high.
Volcano Watch: What is a volcano?
In one dictionary definition, a volcano is a vent in the earth’s crust through which rock or lava is ejected. In another, a volcano is a cone-shaped hill or mountain built around a vent. Most volcanologists find both of these dictionary definitions somewhat lacking.
Volcano Watch: Lessons for the future from Mauna Loa’s 1916 eruption
The year 1916 not only marked the birth of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, but also is remembered for the eruption of the Honamalino flow from the Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) of Mauna Loa 106 years ago.
Volcano Watch: Using earthquakes to look under the hood at Pāhala
HVO, in collaboration with the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, will begin an investigation this summer to learn more about the nature of these frequent, deep earthquakes beneath the southern part of the Island of Hawaiʻi.
Scientists Say it is Unclear How Long the Current Kīlauea Eruption Will Last
Kīlauea summit eruptions over the past 200 years have lasted from less than a day to more than a decade.
Volcano Watch: New Kīlauea Summit Intrusion Draws Comparison to Past Activity
There were 2 events with 3 or more felt reports in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M2.8 earthquake 21 km (13 mi) WNW of Mountain View at 19 km (12 mi) depth on Aug. 25 at 9:25 a.m. HST and a M3.3 earthquake 9 km (5 mi) ENE of Pāhala at 32 km (19 mi) depth on Aug. 20 at 10:16 a.m. HST.
Volcano Watch: Eruption? Intrusion? What’s the difference?
What are symptoms leading up to an eruption? The main player in monitoring volcanoes is seismicity—the frequency and magnitude of earthquakes. When magma enters the volcanic edifice, it accumulates and makes space for itself by compressing many tiny void spaces. Continued filling by magma creates pressure on the walls of reservoirs, causing slip, faults, or cracking in the surrounding brittle rock. All these motions result in the generation of earthquakes.
Kīlauea Alert Level Lowered to “Advisory/Yellow”
The alert level at Kīlauea volcano has returned to “Advisory/Yellow,” after it was raised two days ago during an increased period of seismic activity.
Volcano Watch: A Small But Notable Magma Intrusion at Kīlauea’s Summit
Recently, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s monitoring network recorded another first post-eruption event at Kīlauea’s summit: a magmatic intrusion. Following an earthquake swarm on November 30, 2020, that was centered in the middle of Kīlauea caldera, several pulses of heightened earthquake activity were recorded in the upper East Rift Zone.
Volcano Watch — That Didn’t Feel Like a Magnitude-4? What do Earthquake Measurements Mean?
This is why the MMI scale is the best way to communicate the relative effects among earthquakes. Values are derived from direct observations of the public and will give the best sense of shaking experienced in different regions.
HVO: Water Was in Kīlauea Caldera Before the 2018 Summit Collapse
Kīlauea monitoring data for the past month show variable but typical rates of seismicity and ground deformation, low rates of sulfur dioxide emissions, and only minor geologic changes since the end of eruptive activity in September 2018.
Will the Limited Collapse of Kīlauea Caldera Eventually Widen?
The limited collapse of the inner part of Kīlauea Volcano’s caldera this summer fell well short of the larger summit-wide collapses that occurred in the past.
