New outcrops make good geology
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK A good field geologist is an opportunist. Never content with what outcrops are available, she jumps at the chance to see another one, hoping that it will provide a better understanding to some question about what happened in the past. But it isnt every day that new outcrops are created, and rarer still when they are on the scale of those formed during the faulting of Kilauea Volcanos caldera floor in summer 2018.
HVO: Kilauea’s next eruption probably is years away and likely to be in the caldera
Volcano Watch: Did groundwater trigger explosive eruptions at Kilauea?
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK In February 1924, the surface of the lava lake at Halemaumau dropped rapidly and disappeared from view. Throughout March and April, the crater floor subsided as magma moved out of the summit reservoir into the East Rift Zone. By May 6, 1924, the floor of Halemaumau had dropped more about 600 feet below the crater rim.
M5.5 earthquake: A bump in the night toward more typical seismic background
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK Early Wednesday morning, just before 1 a.m., houses in East Hawaii began to shake. Without a doubt, it was an earthquake. To those who endured the near-daily shaking from last summers collapse events at Kilaueas summit, this weeks earthquake was clearly different.
Volcano Watch: Why does lava thickness matter?
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK Eruption rate how much lava comes out of the ground per unit of time is probably the best measure of volcanic activity, and the first step in that calculation is to measure lava flow thickness and area.
Volcano Watch: How do lava flows cool and how long does it take?
Since the end of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption on Kilauea Volcano, questions have surfaced concerning how long it will take for the new lava flows to solidify. This is a difficult question to answer, because the initial eruptive temperatures along with many different factors can influence the rate of cooling.
Low sulfur emissions mean a new focus on a different volcanic gas
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK With the end of Kilaueas 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption, Hawaii Island was able, at long last, to say goodbye to strong vog volcanic smog produced by voluminous sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.
Geologists map lava thickness
Geology of the past, how long will the eruption last?
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — The 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kilauea brought an end to the 35-plus year eruption at Puu Oo. With the draining of the summit and the collapse of Puu Oo, Puna residents were concerned that the eruption in the LERZ could be long-lived.
Seven months of no lava at Puu Oo heralds end of an era
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — One of the most frequent questions asked of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists the last several months has been, “Is the Lower East Rift eruption over?” But the same question could – and should – be asked of the Puu Oo eruption.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park back up and running after government shutdown
Volcano Watch shut down
During the federal government shutdown, the weekly Volcano Watch column is suspended.
8-year-old lava victim sells crafts to aid displaced friend
HILO — Like hundreds of other Big Island residents, Brooklynn Bennett was forced to leave her home when the Kilauea eruption began in lower Puna earlier this year.
Volcano Watch: Trek to the mountain of water
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — The field day begins with a summit weather check at first light. It is a reflective moment at 6:15 a.m. atop Kilauea Volcano, and the fumarole cracks are steaming like the coffee from my thermos. The weather at Halemaumau crater is cool and dry, with light trade winds from the northeast. We hope for these mornings.
Volcano Watch: January is Volcano Awareness Month
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — January 2019 marks the 10th annual “Volcano Awareness Month” on the Island of Hawaii.
Kilauea might enter into lull following voluminous eruption, research article says
HILO — The recent Kilauea eruption produced some staggering numbers, even for a volcano considered one of the world’s most active.
PGV gets green light to clear road
HILO — Puna Geothermal Venture has been given the go-ahead to restore road access to its lava-locked property.
90 days with no lava: A milestone for Kilauea’s 2018 eruption
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK — One of the most frequently asked questions of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists over the last several months has been, “Is the eruption over?”
Naming process underway for fissure 8
