Volcano Watch

Above Hilo’s iconic Rainbow Falls on the Wailuku River is Boiling Pots. This area, named for the many "potholes" in the river bed, churns and roils...

What a difference a century (or even a few years) can make! As noted in an earlier Volcano Watch (June 5, 2011), 1911 was a dynamic year for science...

One hundred years ago, Frank Perret, world-famous volcanologist, was watching the lava lake action in Halema‘uma‘u Crater. Honolulu businessmen and...

Skies darkened, temperatures plunged, crops failed, and disease and famine ensued. These and other strange phenomena afflicted people around the world...

Anyone watching the Webcams positioned on and around Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō in the early morning hours of Wednesday, September 21, would have seen a marked change...

Jack Sparrow, the central figure of the popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie tetrology, is an intriguing and charismatic character. Real-life...

Seismologists are often asked the question, "Can large earthquakes trigger volcanic eruptions?" The short answer is yes, earthquakes and volcanic...

In 1911, Frank A. Perret continuously observed the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u Crater from his temporary residence, a scientific station on the...

Volcano Watch articles generally focus on Hawaiian volcanism, because they are written by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff. But there are...

Kīlauea had been quiet for about six weeks in 1968 following the end of a 251-day-long eruption in Halema‘uma‘u Crater. But the summit area had been...