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HVO and Collaborators Continue Seismic Surveys Across the Active Volcanoes of Hawaii — USGS Volcano Watch

The Island of Hawai‘i is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. In the last five years, an average of 600-1200 earthquakes per week have been detected by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). This regular rumble of activity across the island can be used to our advantage to assess the hazards that Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes represent. The permanent HVO seismic network consists of nearly 100 stations located across the island. HVO scientists use these stations to monitor the location and character of seismic activity, paying particular attention to signals that mi...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Apr 12

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea’s South Caldera Quaking, April 11, 2024

This past week, earthquakes on Kīlauea concentrated beneath the south caldera area, though only reached magnitude 2.6 despite the region exhibiting accelerated inflation for 3 weeks. Seismic counts across the whole volcano exceeded 100 events yesterday, similar to the previous cycle peak on March 31st but above the average last week of around 50 events per day. However, these numbers are still low compared to the main pulse of magma intrusion into the Southwest Rift in late January and early February, when over 3,000 events occurred within one week. For now, the volcano continues to recharge a...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Apr 5

STEM and suction solutions at HVO —USGS Volcano Watch

STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In the educational system, encouraging STEM curriculum prepares students for future careers in STEM fields. In this “Volcano Watch” article, we’ll describe how aspects of STEM are applied at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), using a specific example of field engineering work. Staff at HVO study volcanic processes and associated hazards in Hawaii, with the emphasis and end goal of protecting life and property. The backbone of the observatory is the monitoring network, consisting of a diverse array ...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 29

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Swelling Further

March rounds out quietly on Kīlauea, with relatively few earthquakes this month thus far compared to the end of January and beginning of February. This past week, seismicity continues to cluster in the south caldera and upper southwest rift, with sporadic events still occurring in the lower southwest rift. The south caldera and upper southwest rift area continues to swell, accumulating nearly 25 microradians of ground tilt over the past month, half of that within the last week. However, without an increase in earthquakes, a resumption of surface activity is likely still some time away. Volcani...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 29

Using acoustic signals to identify the start of 2022 Mauna Loa eruption — HVO Volcano Watch

The 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa occurred late in the evening of November 27th. The eruption was preceded by intense earthquake activity about half an hour prior to glowing lava seen on USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) webcams. How does HVO narrow down the precise time that the eruption started? Remote cameras are critical to confirm eruptive activity but, in many cases, worldwide, views of the activity can be obscured. Clouds, fog or volcanic gas can block views. Or cameras may not cover the eruption site. Hence, HVO and other global observatories establish numerous methods to attempt ...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 22

Establishing a Nascent Monitoring Program on Pico Basile Volcano, Equatorial Guinea — USGS Volcano Watch

In 2012, steam began to rise from beneath the cracked concrete of a telecommunication station at the summit of Pico Basile volcano on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, in western Africa. The steaming lasted several days and extended to two nearby summit craters. Fortunately, the event didn’t escalate beyond some baked vegetation and the slightly fried nerves of station personnel. The volcano had been in a state of quiescence, slumbering peacefully for nearly a century, and this event served as a not-so-subtle reminder that Pico Basile could wake up at any time—and it was completely unmonitored...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 22

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Still Slowly Filling

Another week in March passes by without much change on Kīlauea. The highlight is continued magma accumulation in the area of the south caldera and Southwest Rift Connector, as evidenced by ground tilt even though earthquake rates remain relatively low having decreased from last week. Volcanic gas emissions, the main current threat to residents and visitors, remain relatively low around 85 tonnes of SO2 per day, though are still a concern for sensitive individuals nearby. Maunaloa also continues its longer, quiet run with few earthquakes and sustained inflation as it recharges with magma, and...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 15

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Quakes Slowly Ongoing

Not much has changed on Kīlauea this past week: magma continues to fill the volcano underground, slowly swelling the area around the south caldera and Southwest Rift Connector and triggering small earthquakes, which extend farther down much of the Southwest Rift. While still modest, seismic rates have slightly increased since last week, suggesting a slow ramp-up as part of the recovery from the significant January 31st intrusion. Ground tilt continues to climb steadily in the south caldera near the Sand Hill monitoring station, where earthquakes are also clustered, as the magma build-up appe...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 15

What was an emergency manager doing at a scientific conference? — Volcano Watch

On the Island of Hawaiʻi, frequent eruptions foster a close relationship between the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) and the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency (HCCDA). HVO monitors the active volcanoes and their associated hazards; HCCDA alerts and protects communities from impacts of volcanic events. This relationship, between volcano observatories and their emergency managers, was highlighted at the recent “Cities on Volcanoes” meeting in Antigua, Guatemala. The COV meeting is held every other year, and it brings scientists from around the world together to share information on t...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 8

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Inflation Shifts South, Review 5 Eruptions 2020-23

During this first week of March, Kīlauea continued to inflate following its large Southwest Rift intrusion in late January/early February. Summit monitoring streams still show little net change around Halemaʻumaʻu, which is still producing frequent deflation-inflation cycles while gently inflating. However, the south caldera area connected to the SW Rift has generated a few more earthquakes within the past week, and shows to be the center of uplift over the past two weeks based on satellite radar data. Farther southwest, the volcano’s flank appears to have stabilized after its notable adjustme...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 8

Hawaii represented at the Cities on Volcanoes conference in Antigua, Guatemala — USGS Volcano Watch

In February, the volcanological community gathered for the 12th edition of Cities on Volcanoes (COV12), a conference of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). This conference series started in 1998, with the third conference held in Hilo in 2003; Cities on Volcanoes conferences are held every two to three years in a city that co-exists with and is influenced by volcanism. This year COV12 was in Antigua, Guatemala, the colonial capital of Guatemala from 1543-1773, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Three volcanoes, Fuego, Agua, ...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Mar 1

Kīlauea intrusion was a textbook example of dike propagation — USGS Volcano Watch

From January 31 to February 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 (HVO). Hundreds of earthquakes announced the influx of new magma. The intensity of the seismic activity was similar to what has preceded recent summit eruptions at Kīlauea, prompting HVO staff to raise Kīlauea’s Alert Level/Aviation Color Code to WATCH/ORANGE at 4:41 a.m. HST on January 31. After earthquake activity receded on February 3, 2024, the alert level was returned to ADVISORY/YELLOW. In addition to the high...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Feb 23

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Quietly Refilling Post-Intrusion

Kīlaueaʻs earthquake counts stayed relatively low over the past week, still concentrated along the trace of recent intrusion into the Southwest Rift and beneath the volcano’s summit. Quakes are also occurring along the presumed magma pathway from Pāhala, 20 miles or 30 km deep far beneath Kīlauea’s southwest flank, seemingly in response to the recent intrusion. However, these deep earthquakes have little short-term effect on surface activity, and might instead be considered a sign of a robust longer-term magma supply. The summit and south caldera area continues to generally inflate as it fill...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Feb 16

Dear Valentine, will you be my lab partner? — USGS Volcano Watch

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) “lavas” working with our partners at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (UHH), and for Valentine’s Day we wanted to highlight some of the things we appreciate about this relationship. Faculty and students in the UHH Geology and Anthropology Departments contribute to both volcano monitoring and research in Hawai‘i. Recently, seismic unrest southwest of Kīlauea’s summit alerted HVO to a new intrusion of magma that occurred over a three-day period. The intrusion resulted in slight changes in ground elevations and new surface cracks along the Maunaiki t...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Feb 10

“Forging a Path with a 12-PoundHammer” | Buffalo Soldiers | Black History Month | HVNP

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi – Most visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park never set foot on Mauna Loa Trail. Even fewer people know the remarkable story of the Black soldiers who in 1915 built a trail between the summit of Kīlauea and the nearly 14,000-foot summit of Mauna Loa volcano. A new video from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, “Forging a Path with a 12-Pound Hammer,” celebrates Black History Month and the story of the African-American soldiers who built the remote 30-mile trail. Why would these enlisted men, who faced segregation even in racially diverse Hawaiʻi, undergo ...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Feb 9

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea’s SW Rift Intrusion Wanes

After last week’s ramping up of earthquakes, seismicity peaked at the end of last week coincident with a massive intrusion around the Koaʻe Fault Zone above Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Connector, and has since dropped off significantly across the volcano. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded more than 3,000 earthquakes in total during the event, lowering the alert levels from WATCH/ORANGE to ADVISORY/YELLOW on Saturday morning. They report GPS receivers on the Southwest Rift moving laterally up to 8 inches or 20 cm, and upwards up to 20 inches or 50 cm, as their models “suggest an accum...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Feb 8

Another intrusion southwest of Kīlauea’s summit — USGS Volcano Watch

Last week, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists were closely monitoring earthquakes and ground deformation in the region southwest of Kīlauea’s summit. The increased unrest prompted HVO to raise the Alert Level/Aviation Color Code for Kīlauea to WATCH/ORANGE on January 31 as another intrusive event began beneath the surface. Intrusions are when magma breaks rock to create new pathways within the ground. As magma moves beneath the surface into its new space, the ground above it deforms to accommodate the new material. HVO detects intrusions through earthquake locations (which ...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Feb 2

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Strongest Swarm Marks Kīlauea’s Latest SW Rift Intrusion

For most of January, Kīlauea’s earthquakes slowed significantly as magma continued to gather underground, but during the past week the volcano reached a breaking point, starting on January 27th as its south caldera seismicity resumed. This preceded a significant pulse of magma that triggered the largest number of earthquakes in this sequence since its start in October, exceeding 1,500 located events thus far. The big pulse began in the south caldera two nights ago and has migrated down the Southwest Rift Connector about 10 miles to Puʻu Kou on the Southwest Rift thus far. While the situati...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Jan 12

Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Earthquakes Slow, Inflation & Intrusion Continue

Over the past week, Kīlauea’s earthquakes slowed significantly as its most recent magma pulse into the south caldera and Southwest Rift was accommodated by the filling of underground cracks and other spaces. Low level seismicity continues in the Upper East Rift Connector adjacent to the Koaʻe Fault Zone, as the intrusion has recently focused uplift in that area as evident through satellite data. Inflation is ongoing around the summit and Southwest Rift as magma continues to likely fill established pathways at a lower rate, without triggering swarms of earthquakes. The potential remains for...

Dane duPont@dane_dupont ·Jan 12

Where is magma stored in Kīlauea? - USGS Volcano Watch

USGS-HVO - Over the past several months, periods of increased earthquake activity and ground deformation in the summit region of Kīlauea volcano indicate that magma is accumulating beneath the surface. Where does magma reside, and how do we know? First, let’s envision what a region of magma storage might look like. The top of an active magma chamber is hot with liquid rock. Deeper in the chamber, it transitions to slightly cooler, partially molten/partially solid, crystal-rich material, and eventually to relatively cold and brittle rock. The amount of magma in a reservoir fluctuates over ti...