Volcano Watch — Recent lava fountains highlight Pele’s Hair hazards
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. On January 16–17, persistent lava fountaining at Kīlauea summit, coupled with Kona wind conditions, resulted in Pele's hair falling on nearby communities and within parts of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This photo was taken near Kīlauea Visitor Center, where strands of the fine volcanic glass had accumulated into tubular tumbleweeds of Pele's Hair reaching up to 56 centimeters (22 inches). USGS photo by K. Mulliken. Pele’s Hair is the name for the strands of volcanic glass that are created when
Photo and Video Chronology — January 2, 2025 — Vigorous lava fountaining continues at Kīlauea summit
The eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Monday, December 23, continues as of January 2. Over the past day, vents in the southwest portion of the caldera have continued producing a fan of lava flows covering the western portion of the crater floor during sustained lava fountaining. Get Our News These items are in the RSS feed format (Really Simple Syndication) based on categories such as topics, locations, and more. You can install and RSS reader browser extension, software, or use a third-party service to receive immediate news updates depending on the feed that you have added. If you click
Volcano Watch — Tilting towards lava: How tiltmeters monitor volcano activity
A tiltmeter is a sensitive instrument designed to detect very slight changes in deformation of the ground. They are installed around volcanoes to monitor changes in the Earth’s surface caused by magma moving underground. These movements often precede eruptions, as pressure from magma pushes against the surrounding rock, causing the surface to bulge or shift slightly. Imagine a carpenter’s level laid on the ground at Kīlauea, oriented radially away from Kaluapele (the summit caldera). As magma enters the magma reservoir beneath the caldera and the volcano inflates, the end of the carpenter’s level closest to the caldera is raised upwards
Volcano Watch — ʻAilāʻau or Kualoloa? Hawaiian chants suggest lava flow name change
Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. This week's article is by HVO volunteer and naturalist Bobby Camara, with Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele and Donald Swanson. Map showing Kualoloa lava flows originating near the summit of Kīlauea, with pre- and post-Kualoloa lava flows shown for context. District boundaries and ahupuaʻa borders are also shown, along with placenames mentioned in text. The broader northeastern trending part of the Kualoloa flow field contains a number of kīpuka, and a lava delta was built, creating ka lae Kaloli, the prominent point