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Daily updates about ongoing eruptions, recent images and videos of summit and East Rift Zone volcanic activity, maps, and data about recent earthquakes in Hawaii are posted on the HVO website. 

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and colleagues.

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Volcano Watch — What caused Kīlauea to lose its top in about 1500?

Volcano Watch — What caused Kīlauea to lose its top in about 1500?

All of us lose something as we age, and, about 500 years ago, Kīlauea lost its top. The summit collapsed to form a precipitous hole, known as a...

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Volcano Watch — 1940 was a momentous year for Mauna Loa - and for Thomas A. Jaggar

Volcano Watch — 1940 was a momentous year for Mauna Loa - and for Thomas A. Jaggar

April 2010 marks the 70th anniversary of Mauna Loa's third longest summit eruption in recorded history. The 134-day-long eruption in 1940 has been...

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Volcano Watch — Earth has just a handful of long-lived lava lakes

Volcano Watch — Earth has just a handful of long-lived lava lakes

What volcanic locale do the following characteristics describe?

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea summit eruption turns two

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea summit eruption turns two

This past Friday, March 19, marked the second anniversary of Kīlauea ongoing summit eruption in Halema`uma`u Crater. After 25 years without eruptive...

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Volcano Watch — It's Sinking in that the Island is Sinking

Volcano Watch — It's Sinking in that the Island is Sinking

Several geologic processes contribute to subsidence along Kīlauea coast - the island of Hawai‘i is sinking at a rate of a few millimeters (fractions...

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USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-4.5 Earthquake beneath Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i

USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-4.5 Earthquake beneath Mauna Kea, Hawai‘i

A magnitude-4.5 earthquake was located on the northeast flank of Mauna Kea by the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) on...

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Volcano Watch — Golden anniversary of Chilean earthquake comes early

Volcano Watch — Golden anniversary of Chilean earthquake comes early

May 22, 2010, marks the 50th anniversary of the 1960 magnitude-9.5 Chilean earthquake, which was the largest earthquake worldwide in the last 200...

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Volcano Watch — Kīlauea plume: now you see it, now you don't

Volcano Watch — Kīlauea plume: now you see it, now you don't

Alert observers of Kīlauea ongoing summit eruption often note the changing character of the ever-present plume emerging from Halema`uma`u. Sometimes...

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Volcano Watch — Paleomagnetism: An Attractive Technique for Studying Volcanoes

Volcano Watch — Paleomagnetism: An Attractive Technique for Studying Volcanoes

The magnetic field surrounding the Earth protects it and all living things upon it from charged particles ejected by the sun.

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Volcano Watch — Lava advances in "two steps forward, one step backward" style

Volcano Watch — Lava advances in "two steps forward, one step backward" style

Long-time Kīlauea Volcano watchers know the drill when the supply of magma to the active vent on the volcano's east rift zone is interrupted...

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Volcano Watch — Seismic streaks signal silent slip to the sea

Volcano Watch — Seismic streaks signal silent slip to the sea

In the early hours of Monday, February 1, 2010, , a swarm of microearthquakes began to occur on the south flank of Kīlauea volcano.

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Volcano Watch — Lights, camera, eruption! Volcanoes in the movies

Volcano Watch — Lights, camera, eruption! Volcanoes in the movies

As Volcano Awareness Month nears its end, we conclude our look at volcanoes and society by exploring the cinematic treatment of volcanoes over the...

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