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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 — How our capabilities have improved with time

Volcano Watch — How our capabilities have improved with time

Forty years ago, at 12:36 p.m. on September 21, a swarm of large, shallow earthquakes accompanied by strong harmonic tremor began to emanate from the...

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Volcano Watch — West Maui's rejuvenated-stage eruptions were about 600,000 and 385,000 years ago

Volcano Watch — West Maui's rejuvenated-stage eruptions were about 600,000 and 385,000 years ago

The four youngest vents on West Maui erupted between 610,000 and 385,000 years ago. These newly determined radiometric ages remind us that sporadic...

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Volcano Watch — Lava covers road: expectable as the eruption continues

Volcano Watch — Lava covers road: expectable as the eruption continues

Nothing is constant except change. On August 17 the Kalapana road was reopened, allowing visitors access to a short trail and fine view point...

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Volcano Watch — Ozone in our air - friend or foe? - depends on where

Volcano Watch — Ozone in our air - friend or foe? - depends on where

Several decades ago, a person who had an overly active imagination might have been described as being "out in the ozone." Now just where would that be...

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Volcano Watch — How high is Mauna Loa above sea level?

Volcano Watch — How high is Mauna Loa above sea level?

What is the summit elevation of Mauna Loa? 13,677 feet (4168.7 m) according to the 1994 Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park brochure; 13,679 feet (4169.4...

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Volcano Watch — The opening of a new viewing area of the eruption

Volcano Watch — The opening of a new viewing area of the eruption

At 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 17, the County of Hawai`i officially opened to the public a new viewing area of the current eruptive activity. The...

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Volcano Watch — Lava bench is no boardwalk

Volcano Watch — Lava bench is no boardwalk

What's the difference between a bench and a boardwalk? Both offer a view of the sea, but while the latter is a pleasant place for a stroll, a walk on...

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Volcano Watch — Backyard steam indicates warmth but probably not volcanic

Volcano Watch — Backyard steam indicates warmth but probably not volcanic

Every few months HVO receives a phone call from a concerned citizen explaining that steam is billowing from a new hole in a yard or pasture. Is this...

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Volcano Watch — Surfing Cyberspace for Hawaiian earthquakes

Volcano Watch — Surfing Cyberspace for Hawaiian earthquakes

Surfers of our Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) web site might have noticed that, earlier this year, we rolled out a modified web presentation of...

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Volcano Watch — Facts and Fallacies about Hualālai Volcano

Volcano Watch — Facts and Fallacies about Hualālai Volcano

Every so often we receive a number of inquiries from anxious people in Kona about a possible eruption of Hualālai Volcano. The latest spate of...

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Volcano Watch — Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō changes steadily and abruptly

Volcano Watch — Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō changes steadily and abruptly

The ground surface subsided abruptly about six weeks ago at Pu`u `O`o, Kīlauea Volcano's active cinder-cone vent. Gaping cracks opened around the...

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Volcano Watch — Where does Kīlauea erupt most often?

Volcano Watch — Where does Kīlauea erupt most often?

A visitor recently asked, "Does Kīlauea erupt more often at the summit or along its two rift zones?" Let's try to answer that question.

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