• Rare M4.4 earthquake under dormant Mauna Kea volcano, Hawai’i

    The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) recorded a shallow M4.4 earthquake beneath Mauna Kea's northwest flank at 19:27 UTC (09:27 HST) on Monday, December 14, 2020. The epicenter was located about 20 km (12 miles) SE of Waimea, and 52 km (32 miles) WNW of…

  • Severe storm brings massive rains to Queensland and NSW, Australia

    An intense low-pressure trough off the coast of southeast Australia has brought torrential rains, floods, damaging winds, and dangerous waves to southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales over the weekend, with authorities describing the impacts as similar to…

  • Strong explosive eruption at Etna volcano, Italy

    A strong explosive eruption started at Etna volcano on December 13, 2020, ejecting volcanic ash up to 4.8 km (16 000 feet) above sea level by 23:00 UTC. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Red. Monitoring networks observed increased strombolian activity at the SE…

  • Rare earthquakes detected near Mount Taranaki, New Zealand

    Two small earthquakes were registered near New Zealand's Mount Taranaki this week– weak and shallow M3.2 on December 8, 2020, and M1.6 on December 11. According to GeoNet, earthquakes near the volcano are considered rare. The last eruption of this volcano took…

  • Elevated seismicity at Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii

    Seismic activity increased on Mauna Loa's northwest flank on December 4, 2020, with M4.1 earthquake and clusters of small, shallow earthquakes occurring closely in time and location. The volcano is not erupting but the rates of deformation and seismicity have…