Images

A view of the summit region of Ta‘ū island, in the Manu‘a island group of American Samoa. Ta‘ū island is the exposed top of a volcano that formed as a result of volcanic activity at the Samoa hotspot. Most of the volcano is under the ocean surface.

This overview photograph of the Halema‘uma‘u eruption at the summit of Kīlauea was captured by a HVO geologist in the morning of August 24, 2022, from the webcam site on the west rim of the crater.

A broadband seismometer being installed on Ta‘ū island near Fiti‘uta on August 23, 2022, by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, NOAA National Weather Service, and with help from the American Samoan government and local residents of Ta‘ū island.

A broadband seismometer was installed on Ta‘ū island on August 22, 2022, by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and NOAA National Weather Service team. This is one of two broadband seismometers that have been placed on Ta‘ū island to help detect earthquakes that started to be felt in the region starting in late July. USGS photo by D. Downs.

An afternoon view of the tuff cone near Faleāsao village located in northwest Ta‘ū island, with the islands of Ofu and Olosega visible in the distance. This tuff cone, which is thousands of years old, formed when hot magma interacted with either shallow groundwater or sea water. There are several tuff cones located within the northwest corner of Ta‘ū island.

A Raspberry Shake microseismometer was installed on Ta‘ū island, American Samoa, on August 19, 2022, by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and NOAA National Weather Service team. This is one of several microseismometers that have been placed within the Manu‘a islands to help detect earthquakes in the region that started to be felt in late July. USGS photo by D.

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on August 18, 2022. One eruptive vent (orange) is active within Halema‘uma‘u, on the western side of the crater floor. An adjacent pond (purple) is feeding lava to a larger lake (red) via a crusted-over tube.

Image of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava enters the lake at the west end (bottom of image) and flow steadily towards the east end, where the crust is consumed along the lake margins. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This reference map depicts the volcanic islands of American Samoa, and specifically the Manu‘a Islands of Ofu, Olosega, and Ta‘ū. In recent days and weeks, residents of the islands have been feeling moderate earthquakes, and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has deployed several staff members to American Samoa to help monitor the unrest.

A helicopter overflight on August 16, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater.

View of south part of western side of Nuʻutele Island, off the west coast of Ofu Island in the Manuʻa Islands, American Samoa. Nuʻutele Island is an eroded tuff cone of Ofu-Olosega volcano. A tuff cone can form when magma and water interact at shallow depths, causing localized explosions.

View of part of the tuff cone which contains both Faleāsao village and Faleasao Harbor from the northwest part of Taʻū Island, American Samoa. A tuff cone can form when magma and water interact at shallow depths, causing localized explosions.

A Raspberry Shake seismometer was installed at Fitiʻuta Elementary School on Taʻū Island on August 13, 2022, to provide initial data on the swarm of earthquakes that started on the Manuʻa Islands around July 26, 2022.

A Raspberry Shake seismometer was installed at Fitiʻuta Elementary School on Taʻū Island on August 13, 2022, to provide initial data on the swarm of earthquakes that started on the Manuʻa Islands around July 26, 2022.

Plots showing Mauna Loa ground deformation and earthquake monitoring data between midnight August 1 and midnight August 3, 2022. The top panel shows ground tilt in microradians at station MOK, on the northwest side of Mauna Loa’s summit caldera. A histogram showing the number of located earthquakes that occurred per hour is shown in the middle panel.

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on August 8, 2022. One eruptive vent (orange) is active within Halema‘uma‘u, on the western side of the crater floor. An adjacent pond (purple) is feeding lava to a larger lake (red) via a crusted-over tube.

Recent Sentinel-1 interferogram for the period from June 7 to July 13, 2022 covering the Island of Hawai‘i. Each color fringe represents 2.83 centimeters (1.11 inches) of ground displacement. There is evidence for a few millimeters of inflation at Mauna Loa, and no noteworthy deformation at Kīlauea during this time span.

Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) flights on August 4, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater.

Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) flights on August 4, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater.

Earthquakes in oceanic environments can generate pressure waves that travel long distances within the ocean itself. Much like seismographs record ground shaking, this energy is recorded by submerged hydrophones measuring pressure changes in water.

Telephoto view of the active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. During an eruption monitoring shift on July 29, 2022, spattering was observed along the eastern margin of the active lake. Additionally, crustal plates (darker pieces within the silvery active lava lake) were observed forming and breaking apart. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.