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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 — Volcanic Spreading Induces Flank Collapse at Mauna Loa

Volcano Watch — Volcanic Spreading Induces Flank Collapse at Mauna Loa

As the largest volcano in the world, Mauna Loa's bulk dominates Hawai`i Island. Understandably, it might be viewed as a solid, immovable mountain...

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Volcano Watch — Amid Financial Turmoil, Kīlauea's "Budget" Appears Sound but the Forecast is Voggy

Volcano Watch — Amid Financial Turmoil, Kīlauea's "Budget" Appears Sound but the Forecast is Voggy

As candidates spar over the current economic crisis, how it happened, and how we might recover, one thing seems clear here in Hawai`i: Kīlauea is in...

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Volcano Watch — Sometimes, Volcanoes Need to be Left Alone

Volcano Watch — Sometimes, Volcanoes Need to be Left Alone

This week, access to Turrialba Volcano National Park in Costa Rica, was temporarily closed because elevated gas emissions were blown into visitor...

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Volcano Watch — A 1951 Tragedy in Papua New Guinea Provides an Important Reference in the Volcanologic Literature

Volcano Watch — A 1951 Tragedy in Papua New Guinea Provides an Important Reference in the Volcanologic Literature

Ever heard of Higaturu? How about Popendetta? You'll find the town of Popendetta on a map of Papua New Guinea, about 90 miles northeast of Port...

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Photo and Video Chronology - Mauna Loa - September 21, 2008

Photo and Video Chronology - Mauna Loa - September 21, 2008

Comparative views of the 1949 cinder-and-spatter and 1940 vent cones.

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USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-4.3 Earthquake Occurs on Kīlauea's South Flank

USGS HVO Press Release — Magnitude-4.3 Earthquake Occurs on Kīlauea's South Flank

For the first time since the new vent opened in Halema‘uma‘u Crater on March 19, HVO A magnitude-4.3 earthquake was located beneath the south flank of...

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Volcano Watch — New Monitoring Instruments at Mount Rainier Have Their Roots in HVO's History

Volcano Watch — New Monitoring Instruments at Mount Rainier Have Their Roots in HVO's History

The Cascades Volcano Observatory, one of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's sister observatories, has worked in the past two weeks to install new...

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Volcano Watch — A lava lake is revealed within Halema`uma`u's new vent

Volcano Watch — A lava lake is revealed within Halema`uma`u's new vent

"So, how far down is the lava?"

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USGS HVO Press Release — Sloshing Lava Lake Viewed within Halema‘uma‘u Vent

USGS HVO Press Release — Sloshing Lava Lake Viewed within Halema‘uma‘u Vent

For the first time since the new vent opened in Halema‘uma‘u Crater on March 19, HVO scientists in a helicopter hovering over the crater were able to...

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Volcano Watch — Summer Explosive Eruptions in Alaska Keep Scientists and Airlines on Edge

Volcano Watch — Summer Explosive Eruptions in Alaska Keep Scientists and Airlines on Edge

Explosive eruptions on three remote Aleutian islands this summer during a three-week period generated large ash and gas-rich clouds that kept...

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Volcano Watch — Footprints in Ka`u were probably made in 1790—but not by Keoua's party

Volcano Watch — Footprints in Ka`u were probably made in 1790—but not by Keoua's party

Many readers know that a party of warriors and their families led by Keoua was decimated by an explosive eruption (called Keonehelelei—the falling...

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Volcano Watch — What are Halema`uma`u's smoke and other signals telling us?

Volcano Watch — What are Halema`uma`u's smoke and other signals telling us?

Though nearly all of the seismic data processing, analysis, and presentation at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) have...

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