Seismic activity and ground deformation surge at Kīlauea’s summit, Hawaii

Seismic activity and ground deformation surge at Kīlauea’s summit, Hawaii

Increased earthquake activity and signs of magma movement beneath Kīlauea’s summit, detected on January 31, 2024, have prompted the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to elevate the volcano’s alert level from ADVISORY/YELLOW to WATCH/ORANGE. With over 500 earthquakes recorded since midnight and ground deformation indicating pressurized magma chambers, the risk of an eruption remains high.

Rapid uplift and strong seismicity precede new eruption at Kīlauea, Hawaii

Rapid uplift and strong seismicity precede new eruption at Kīlauea, Hawaii

At 01:15 UTC on September 11, 2023 (15:15 HST, September 10), the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) identified new eruptive activity at Kīlauea’s summit within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, based on webcam images and field reports. The eruption was preceded by intense seismic activity and rapid uplift at the summit.

The opening phase of eruption at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

The opening phase of eruption at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

This video, captured by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s KWcam on the northwest rim of the caldera, shows the opening phase of the eruption that began within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the early morning of June 7, 2023 (LT).

New eruption starts at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

New eruption starts at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

At approximately 14:44 UTC (04:44 HST) on June 7, 2023, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) detected a glow in Kīlauea summit webcam images indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Kīlauea’s summit caldera, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

New eruption at Kilauea volcano, Aviation Color Code raised to Red, Hawaii

New eruption at Kilauea volcano, Aviation Color Code raised to Red, Hawaii

A new eruption began at Kilauea volcano’s Halema‘uma‘u crater at approximately 01:20 UTC on September 30, 2021 (15:20 HST, September 29). As a result, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) raised the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from ADVISORY to WARNING and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to RED.

Strong earthquake swarm under Kilauea, Alert Level raised to Watch, Hawaii

Strong earthquake swarm under Kilauea, Alert Level raised to Watch, Hawaii

A swarm of earthquakes began beneath the south part of Kilauea caldera, Hawaii on August 24, 2021, with a particularly strong sequence that occurred at about 11:30 UTC, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) reports. As a result, HVO has raised the volcano…

Caldera collapse triggers large-scale volcanic eruptions

Caldera collapse triggers large-scale volcanic eruptions

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California identified what triggers large-scale volcanic eruptions and the conditions that lead to them. Using data from the 2018 Kilauea eruption in Hawaii– its largest volcanic eruption in over 200…