Volcano Monitoring
Volcano Monitoring
Monitoring networks provide data for research and public notifications.
Monitoring Summary
Monitoring Summary
HVO's monitoring networks consist of more than 100 field stations with instruments that record and measure earthquakes, ground movement, volcanic gases, sound waves, lava advancement, magma volume below ground, and visual changes in eruptive activity.
Earthquake Monitoring
Earthquake Monitoring
Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) monitor, analyze, and report on earthquakes that occur throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
Volcano Monitoring by HVO
Volcano Monitoring by HVO
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Volcano Monitoring by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Kīlauea and other active Hawaiian volcanoes are ideal natural laboratories for researching how volcanoes work, because they are easy to access and have frequent eruptions and earthquakes.
Monitoring Earthquakes in Hawaii
Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) monitor, analyze, and report on earthquakes that occur throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
Deformation Monitoring Tracks Moving Magma and Faults
Ground deformation measurements provide an important indicator about what is happening beneath a volcano. As magma accumulates in an underground reservoir before an eruption, the ground surface typically swells (named inflation).
Monitoring Volcanic Gas in Hawaii
Gas escapes from magma as it rises toward the surface, erupts, and as it cools and crystallizes below ground.
Geological Monitoring of Hawaiian Eruptions
Geological monitoring involves frequent field visits to active vents and lava flows to observe and document newly created volcanic features and to sample lava or tephra for chemical and mineral analyses.
"Felt" Earthquakes = Ones That People Feel
Residents of Hawaii are accustomed to feeling earthquake shaking. The magnitude, location, and depth of an earthquake, and overlying soil conditions determine how widely and strongly any particular event can be felt. Typically, people report feeling earthquakes larger than about magnitude 3.0.
About Earthquakes in Hawaii
Thousands of earthquakes occur every year in the State of Hawaii. They are caused by eruptive processes within the active volcanoes or by deep structural adjustments due to the weight of the islands on Earth's underlying crust.