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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project Begins – April 18, 2023

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory April 18, 2023

Fieldwork for the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project, which will provide a new detailed view of shallow subsurface structures and the magma system beneath Kīlauea volcano’s summit, began on April 17, 2023.

Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project Website

Nearly 2,000 seismic nodes (small earthquake-detecting devices) will be placed on the ground surface of Kīlauea summit region for two months, collecting data on seismic signals. The project—which is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157) and the National Science Foundation—is being done under a research permit from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and with permission from the State of Hawaii. USGS scientists are collaborating with researchers at the University of Miami and Renseller Polytech Institute to collect and analyze the data.

 

Color photograph of scientists and helicopter
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Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory deployed caches of seismic node instruments via helicopter around Kīlauea summit yesterday, April 17. Seismic nodes are small earthquake-detecting devices and 1,800 of them are being placed across Kīlauea summit for the next two months as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. You can read more about the project in this recent "Volcano Watch" article: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-imaging-underground-kilaueas-summit. USGS image by S. Brantley.
Color photograph scientific equipment
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Seismic nodes are prepared to be deployed to Kīlauea summit on April 17 as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. The nodes will be temporarily placed on the surface of Kīlauea's summit region for the next two months and will collect data that will outline the geometry and nature of the magma system beneath Kīlauea summit. USGS image by S. Brantley.
Color photograph scientific equipment
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A cache of seismic nodes (small earthquake-detecting devices) on Kīlauea caldera floor, which Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists deployed on April 17. HVO has a permanent monitoring network of several seismometers at the summit of Kīlauea that detect natural earthquakes, but more seismometers are needed to collect data at a higher resolution for the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project, which will help reveal subsurface structures beneath Kīlauea's summit region. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the USGS Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157, provided in response to Kīlauea's 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapse). USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientist in the field with equipment
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A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicist in front of seismic nodes that will be deployed across Kīlauea summit as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. Each station consists of a seismic node (small earthquake-detecting device, blue), a battery to power the node for the two months that it will be collecting data (silver box), and a sandbag that is placed on the node to keep it coupled to the ground surface (|black bag). This project is being conducted under a research permit from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. If you have any questions about the project, please email askHVO@usgs.gov. USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientist in the field with equipment
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A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist deploys one of 1,800 temporary seismic node stations that will be collecting data for the next two months in Kīlauea summit region. The nodes will record local and large worldwide earthquakes, ambient seismic noise (for example, generated by the ocean or the atmosphere), and controlled seismic signals (vibrations generated by the Vibroseis truck in May). If you see a node, please do not disturb the instrument. It is recording valuable data that is needed to help scientists image the underground features of Kīlauea summit region. USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientist setting up equipment in the field
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A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist uses a compass to check the orientation of a seismic node (blue) that was deployed on Kīlauea's summit caldera floor on April 17, 2023. The station is one of 1,800 that will collect data for the next two months. The data will be analyzed to outline where the base of Kīlauea contacts the underlying ocean floor, the location of major faults and fault blocks, where bodies of magma are stored beneath the surface of Kīlauea, and how those bodies connect to the rift zones. USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientists and helicopter
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A clear view across Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) on April 17, 2023, taken from Kūpinaʻi Pali (Waldron Ledge) on Crater Rim Trail in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Over the next two months, 1,800 seismic nodes (small earthquake-detecting devices) will be temporarily positioned on the ground surface of Kīlauea's summit region as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. More information about this project is available at this webpage: https://www.usgs.gov/supplemental-appropriations-for-disaster-recovery-activities/science/2019-kilauea-disaster-2#overview. USGS image by K. Mulliken.
Color photograph of scientist hiking in crater
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A USGS scientist hikes into Pauahi Crater, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, to deploy seismic nodes for the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. The floor of Pauahi Crater is covered by lava that flowed into the crater during a Kīlauea East Rift Zone eruption in November 1979. USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientist setting up equipment in the field
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A USGS scientist checks the location of the seismic node being installed within Pauahi Crater, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has a permanent monitoring network of several seismometers at the summit of Kīlauea that detect natural earthquakes, but more seismometers are needed to collect data at a higher resolution for this project. An additional 1,800 small earthquake-detecting devices, called seismic nodes, will be temporarily placed on the surface of Kīlauea’s summit region in the next two months. USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientist setting up equipment in the field
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A USGS scientist installs a seismic node within Pauahi Crater, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. The station is one of 1,800 that will collect data for the next two months. If you see people in bright vests walking in areas of Kīlauea summit over the next two months, you are likely seeing the nodes being deployed or retrieved. USGS image by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of scientist setting up equipment in the field
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A USGS scientist checks the location to deploy a seismic node within Hiʻiaka Crater, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project. The station is one of 1,800 that will collect data for the next two months. Most nodes are beings deployed by scientists hiking; however, some nodes are being placed in areas difficult to access (such as craters) and require helicopter support. USGS image by M. Patrick.

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