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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 — Rising to great heights: rocks in the jet stream?

Volcano Watch — Rising to great heights: rocks in the jet stream?

Air travelers to Hawai`i are familiar with the jet stream. The strong, high-level winds typically come from the northwest and slow west-bound flights...

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Volcano Watch — What if the 1984 flow from Mauna Loa hadn't stopped?

Volcano Watch — What if the 1984 flow from Mauna Loa hadn't stopped?

Several recent "Volcano Watch" columns have dealt with Mauna Loa and the implications of renewed inflation of its summit. For better or worse, this...

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Volcano Watch — Calibrating earthquake counts beneath Mauna Loa

Volcano Watch — Calibrating earthquake counts beneath Mauna Loa

A "Volcano Watch" article several weeks ago indicated changes occurring atop Mauna Loa. Specifically, global positioning system (GPS) receivers on...

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Volcano Watch — "Methane" explosions-a volcanic hazard worth understanding

Volcano Watch — "Methane" explosions-a volcanic hazard worth understanding

Recent visitors to the coastal eruption site, especially those unwise enough to approach the flow margins where lava is encroaching on vegetation, are...

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Volcano Watch — What if it's a summit eruption?

Volcano Watch — What if it's a summit eruption?

In the Volcano Watch article two weeks ago, we broke the news that the summit area of Mauna Loa is swelling for the first time since 1993. If this...

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Volcano Watch — Inactive benches quickly become stable

Volcano Watch — Inactive benches quickly become stable

Many streams of lava entering the ocean are shattered to bits in the surf zone. These loose fragments gradually build layers of rubble on the steep...

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Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - September 27, 2002

Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - September 27, 2002

Skylight, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i.

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Volcano Watch — What's happening at Mauna Loa?

Volcano Watch — What's happening at Mauna Loa?

Mauna Loa has gone 18.5 years without eruption--the second longest dry spell since detailed records begin in 1843. The longest period without eruption...

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Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - September 20, 2002

Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - September 20, 2002

Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Cone, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

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Volcano Watch — USGS sends team to assess eruption hazards in Papua New Guinea

Volcano Watch — USGS sends team to assess eruption hazards in Papua New Guinea

In early August, Pago volcano, on the central coast of New Britain Island, suddenly began exploding rocks and volcanic ash into the air. Thousands of...

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Volcano Watch — Clues to Mauna Loa's plumbing system

Volcano Watch — Clues to Mauna Loa's plumbing system

Recent work sheds light on Mauna Loa's magmatic plumbing. The U.S. Geological Survey has embarked on scientific investigations of the plumbing system...

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Volcano Watch — At least some footprints in the Ka`u Desert are older than 1790

Volcano Watch — At least some footprints in the Ka`u Desert are older than 1790

Luckily, Hawai`i experiences volcanic ash much less often than it does lava flows. When it comes, though, it can be anything from a nuisance to a...

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