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Volcano Watch — More shaking on Kīlauea’s south flank. Did you feel it?

Volcano Watch — More shaking on Kīlauea’s south flank. Did you feel it?

Island of Hawaiʻi residents are used to feeling the ground shake beneath them. From subtle shakes that feel like wind, to abrupt jolting that knocks...

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Solving the mystery of the “Pearlette volcanic ash”

Solving the mystery of the “Pearlette volcanic ash”

The Yellowstone volcanic system is known for its ash-flow tuffs—thick, compressed ash deposits from caldera-forming eruptions. But thinner ash beds...

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Volcano Watch — Cruising Chain of Craters Road: Recent earthquakes and past volcanism

Volcano Watch — Cruising Chain of Craters Road: Recent earthquakes and past volcanism

The upper East Rift Zone (UERZ) of Kīlauea was a shaky place this past weekend. This region extends southeast from Kaluapele (Kīlauea’s summit caldera...

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The hot and cold journey of silica begins in Yellowstone’s rhyolite and ends in geyser cones, petrified trees, and algae

The hot and cold journey of silica begins in Yellowstone’s rhyolite and ends in geyser cones, petrified trees, and algae

Rhyolite is the most abundant rock in Yellowstone, and it contains about 75% silica. When it reacts with hot groundwater, much of the silica ends up...

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Volcano Watch — In Remembrance of Ed Brown, HVO ‘Ohana

Volcano Watch — In Remembrance of Ed Brown, HVO ‘Ohana

On May 15, 2024, our friend and colleague Ed Brown, Associate Director for Infrastructure and Facilities for the USGS Volcano Science Center (VSC)...

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Earthquake focal mechanisms – life’s a beach(ball)

Earthquake focal mechanisms – life’s a beach(ball)

What does a beachball have to do with an earthquake?  Turns out, beachballs are key to understanding the characteristics of the fault that slipped to...

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Volcano Watch — Petrologists gather to discuss challenges and goals in understanding Kīlauea chemistry

Volcano Watch — Petrologists gather to discuss challenges and goals in understanding Kīlauea chemistry

During the most active portion of their life cycle, called the shield stage, Hawaiian volcanoes erupt frequently and mostly produce a rock type called...

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Mount St. Helens seismicity elevated but within the range of background levels (February to June 2024)

Mount St. Helens seismicity elevated but within the range of background levels (February to June 2024)

Over the past several months, small magnitude earthquakes have been located at Mount St. Helens. The seismicity is similar to what was observed at...

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The YVO 2023 Annual Report has hit the streets!

The YVO 2023 Annual Report has hit the streets!

Want to know the number and pattern of earthquakes that occurred in the Yellowstone region in 2023?  Or what interesting new geyser activity took...

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Volcano Watch — A decade later, remembering the Pāhoa lava flow crisis

Volcano Watch — A decade later, remembering the Pāhoa lava flow crisis

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...

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Going, going, argon! Determining volcanic eruption ages with argon geochronology

Going, going, argon! Determining volcanic eruption ages with argon geochronology

Argon dating is a powerful tool for determining when volcanoes erupted in the past. This technique works on a multitude of volcanic materials—from...

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Volcano Watch — Keeping up with Kīlauea

Volcano Watch — Keeping up with Kīlauea

Kīlauea began erupting from fissures southwest of Kaluapele (the summit caldera) just after midnight on June 3; the eruption ceased just nine hours...

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