Since the early 1990s, scientists have used radar satellites to map movement, or deformation, of Earth’s surface. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) calculates the difference between two radar images acquired
VOLCANOWatch: Seeing the Earth Shake on Your Screen
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, along with its partners at NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the National Strong-Motion Project, operates a network of seismic monitoring stations on the Island
VOLCANOWatch: 2019 Marks the 50th Anniversary of Kīlauea’s Mauna Ulu Eruption
May 24, 2019, is a notable date in Kīlauea Volcano’s history. It is the one-year anniversary of several key events in the 2018 Kīlauea eruption, most notably, the reactivation of
VOLCANOWatch: Students Use Science for the Benefit of Their Communities
During the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, when fissures erupted and lava flowed in the lower East Rift Zone (LERZ), many Puna residents were displaced from their homes. We, as
VOLCANOWatch: New Insights Gained from Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 Summit Collapses
A year ago, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and Island of Hawaiʻi residents were in the throes of an historically unprecedented series of events for Kīlauea. By early April 2018,
VOLCANOWatch: What We’ve Learned from Kīlauea’s 2018 Lower East Rift Zone Eruption
May 3, 2019, marks the one-year anniversary of the start of Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption. Over the past year, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists and collaborators
VOLCANOWatch: What Caused—or Did Not Cause—the 2018 Kīlauea Eruption?
When a major geologic event occurs, scientists who study such events and the people who are directly or indirectly impacted by it seek to understand its cause. Often, a first
VOLCANOWatch: Recent Ground Control Survey Helps Finalize USGS Lava Thickness Map
In February 2019, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory released a preliminary map of lava flow thicknesses for Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption. This map was produced by
VOLCANOWatch: Eruption Pause Provides an Opportunity to Probe Volcanic Pollution
The end of Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption this past September was accompanied by an enormous decrease in the amount of sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) emitted from the volcano. This has led
VOLCANOWatch: New Outcrops Make Good Geology
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