The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitors earthquakes and volcanoes in Hawaii and American Samoa. The past year has included a historic episodic eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano, which has produced dozens of lava fountains that have filled in Halemaʻumaʻu crater and constructed a cone perched on the rim of the crater. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff will host a table at the museum showcasing recent eruptive products and eruption monitoring tools. At 1 p.m., join USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicist Ashton Flinders as he gives a 45-minute talk describing the history of the observatory and how Hawaii's active volcanoes have provided a natural laboratory for understanding volcanic processes and their associated hazards. USGS photo of HVO geophysicist Ashton Flinders in Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Talk Story with HVO Geologists
Lava fountains have been episodically active in the summit of Kīlauea since the night of December 23, 2024. Geologists monitor these eruptions, measuring lava fountain heights, installing webcameras, and collecting samples. Come talk story with USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists Drew Downs and Mike Zoeller, as they describe the monitoring and science done behind the scenes of these fascinating fountaining episodes. USGS photo: HVO staff servicing the V1cam on the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater; V1cam is one of three livestream cameras that provide 24/7 views of Kīlauea summit region.
A Year of Lava Fountains in the Forecast
Kīlauea volcano has historically erupted more than 35 episodes in the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Lava fountains from two eruptive vents have built an impressive cone on the crater rim and incrementally filled in Halemaʻumaʻu crater with stacks of lava flows. Volcanic gas emissions and particles of lava are carried in downwind directions. Have there been similar eruptions in the history of Kīlauea? What are the hazards associated with this activity? How could this eruption potentially end? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-charge Ken Hon as he answers these questions and more. USGS photo: Dual lava fountains erupt in Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea on 11/9/2025 during episode 36.
HVO at the Hawaii Science & Technology Museum
Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Katie Mulliken as she showcases samples of some of the youngest rocks on Earth, erupted recently by Kīlauea volcano. Come see pāhoehoe lava that flowed on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, pieces of tephra that fell from the lava fountains onto the crater rim, and strands of Pele's Hair that were carried by the wind. Learn about the hazards associated with the recent eruption, as well as how scientists monitor these dynamic eruptions. USGS photo: scientist holds a piece of tephra erupted by Kīlauea during episode 33 on September 19, 2025.
Talk Story with HVO Field Engineers
Lava fountains at the summit of Kīlauea over the past year have blanketed the area immediately downwind with tephra -- a word for materials erupted by a volcano that travel through the air before being deposited on the ground. Tephra has buried monitoring equipment, shattered solar panels, and melted webcameras. Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers Kevan Kamibayashi and Miki Warren as they describe the challenges this historic Kīlauea summit eruption has posed to maintaining the volcano monitoring network, particularly in the downwind area. USGS photo: a field engineer shovels tephra erupted during episode 35 off monitoring equipment in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, downwind of the erupting vents at Kīlauea summit.
Talk Story with HVO
Come talk story with USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Katie Mulliken as she hosts a table from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. at the Pāhala Public Library. Do you have questions about the Kīlauea summit eruption, volcanic hazards, how eruptions are monitored, or what it's like working for a volcano observatory? Katie will be able to answer those questions and more. Come talk story, browse resources, and learn more about the volcanoes in your backyard. Katie Mulliken at an outreach event in Volcano Village in 2024. Photo courtesy J. Tunison.
What's shaking (at the volcano?)
We experience ground shaking all the time! This shaking may be from volcanic activities, earthquakes, ocean waves, or even our own man-made activities. In this lecture, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo professor Thomas Lee will explore why the ground shakes in Hawaii, how we can measure shaking, and what it all means in the context of living on an active volcano. Thomas Lee in 2025. Photo courtesy UHH.
Steam and Sulphur Stroll at Haʻakulamanu
Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas specialists Tricia Nadeau and Christine Sealing on a 2-mile/2-hour walk through the fumarolic area of Kīlauea volcano's summit known as Haʻakulamanu on the Sulphur Banks trail. Why do volcanoes emit volcanic gases? How does the composition of gases at Sulphur Banks differ from gases being emitted from within Kīlauea's caldera? Come on this walk to learn the answers to these questions and more. We will meet at the Kīlauea Visitor Center and end at Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff). USGS photo: sampling the Haʻakulamanu area in 2020.
A Year of Lava Fountains in the Forecast
Kīlauea volcano has historically erupted more than 35 episodes in the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Lava fountains from two eruptive vents have built an impressive cone on the crater rim and incrementally filled in Halemaʻumaʻu crater with stacks of lava flows. Volcanic gas emissions and particles of lava are carried in downwind directions. Have there been similar eruptions in the history of Kīlauea? What are the hazards associated with this activity? How could this eruption potentially end? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Katie Mulliken as she answers these questions and more. USGS photo: The eruptive plume associated with episode 38 of lava fountaining within Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea on 12/6/2025.
A tale of two eruptions: Lava fountains of Kīlauea in 1959 and now
Join University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo geologist Meghann Decker for a comparative walk down the Devastation Trail. Learn about the geologic features along the trail and compare the 1959 Kīlauea Iki tephra field and cone (Puʻu Puaʻi) created by lava fountains up to 1,900 feet high, to those forming from the ongoing 2024-2025 Kīlauea summit eruption. Discover how lava fountains and falling tephra have similarly and dramatically altered the landscape during the 1,500-foot-high fountaining episodes of the current eruption. USGS photos of Kīlauea Iki eruption in 1959 and lava fountains in Halemaʻumaʻu in 2025.
Where the wind blows: Understanding the hazards associated with Kīlauea's lava fountains
During eruptive episodes at the summit of Kīlauea over the past year, volcanic gas and tephra are carried downwind. During trade wind conditions, most material is transported to the southwest. Larger tephra particles fall on the ground within 1-3 miles (1-5 kilometers) of the eruptive vent(s), with the highest concentrations immediately downwind of the vent(s) in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Light particles, including Pele's hair, can be transported greater distances, 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the vent downwind. As sulfur dioxide is transported downwind, it reacts in the atmosphere to form the visible haze that is observed downwind of Kīlauea, known as vog. Come talk story with USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Natalia Deligne and volcano gas specialist Tricia Nadeau, as they describe the far-reaching hazards associated with lava fountaining episodes at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo: Pele's Hair gathers in small clumps on the pavement in Pāhala, more than 20 miles away from the eruptive vents in Halemaʻumaʻu, after episode 36.
Talk Story with HVO
Come talk story with USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory chief field engineer Kevan Kamibayashi as he hosts a table from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Nāʻālehu Public Library. Do you have questions about the Kīlauea summit eruption, volcanic hazards, how eruptions are monitored, or what it's like working for a volcano observatory? Kevan, who has worked for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory for over 25 years, will be available to answer those questions and more. Come talk story, browse resources, and learn more about the volcanoes in your backyard. USGS photo: Kevan Kamibayashi conducts maintenance on a volcano-monitoring station located in American Samoa in 2023.
Hualālai: The volcano Kona lives on
Often overlooked in the shadow of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, Hualālai is the island's third most active volcano, having erupted most recently a couple hundred years ago. Join USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Natalia Deligne, who will describe Hualālai's most recent eruptions, the 1929 unrest when Kona shook for several weeks, and what might happen in the future on this volcano. The presentation will also touch on the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea and the volcanic hazard Kona residents are most familiar with: volcanic air pollution (vog). USGS photo: Hualālai rising from the coast in Kailua-Kona area.
Civil Defense Disaster Preparedness Fair - Hawaiian Ocean View Estates
Mauna Loa remains an active volcano. It erupted most recently in 2022 after 38 years of no eruption. Mauna Loa is at Volcano Alert Level NORMAL and Aviation Color Code GREEN, but it will erupt again someday. Now is a good time to review the hazards associated with Mauna Loa eruptions and create plans for potential emergencies. At 3 p.m., USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Ken Hon will review Mauna Loa's eruptive history and patterns of activity. He will be followed by Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno, who will talk about disaster preparedness, including experiences from recent eruptions in Hawaii, and updated information on how communities can stay informed. Before and after the talk, informational booths for more informal questions/answers/talk story will be available with representatives from numerous disaster preparedness and response agencies.USGS photo: one of several Mauna Loa lava flow fronts that were active on the north flank of the volcano on November 30, 2022.
Ellison Onizuka Day - Hilo
With the blessing of the Onizuka family, the team at the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), along with the Canada France Hawai'i Telescope and Hawaii Science and Technology Museum invite you to participate in Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo on January 24, 2026! This free, family friendly event is open to the public and will feature exciting exhibits from local organizations and companies, plus fun, hands-on workshops for keiki in grades 3-12. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists will be speaking and hosting a booth at this event. USGS photo: Lava fountains from the north vent in Halema'uma'u crater during episode 37 at the summit of Kīlauea on November 25, 2025.
Remembering Halapē - Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Kahuku Unit
A M 7.7 earthquake on November 29, 1975, was located beneath the south flank of Kīlauea. Along the south coast of Kīlauea, the ground subsided by as much as 3.5 m (11.5 ft). A tsunami swept ashore after the earthquake, killing two backcountry campers at Halapē. Hear the stories told by survivors of this destructive event; learn the processes that caused the ground movement; and understand how you can practice earthquake and tsunami preparedness. USGS photo: the coconut grove at Halapē was submerged in the ocean after the M7.7 earthquake in 1975.
A Year of Lava Fountains in the Forecast
Kīlauea volcano has historically erupted more than 35 episodes in the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Lava fountains from two eruptive vents have built an impressive cone on the crater rim and incrementally filled in Halemaʻumaʻu crater with stacks of lava flows. Volcanic gas emissions and particles of lava are carried in downwind directions. Have there been similar eruptions in the history of Kīlauea? What are the hazards associated with this activity? How could this eruption potentially end? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory research geologist Matt Patrick as he answers these questions and more. USGS photo: Lava fountains from the south vent in Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea on April 1, 2025.
Visit the Vault at Volcano House
The Whitney Seismological Laboratory was established in 1912, the year that Dr. Thomas Jaggar founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Constructed as the basement of the original HVO building, it followed plans provided by Professor Fusakichi Omori, who invented the Omori Seismometer to detect earthquakes. Instruments in the Whitney Vault, some of which remain preserved there today, were the first to record earthquakes in Hawaii. The Whitney Vault is the only remnant of the original HVO structures, but HVO's volcano monitoring network has grown to more than 200 instruments located across the Island of Hawaiʻi. With frequent eruptions and earthquakes in Hawaii, HVO is at the forefront of developing and testing new tools to monitor earthquakes, ground deformation, volcanic gas emissions, gravity, volcanic plumes and lava flows. Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicists Ingrid Johanson and Ashton Flinders as they describe the history of HVO volcano monitoring, showcasing old and new technologies in the Whitney Vault, located beneath the ground near the present-day Volcano House Hotel. USGS photo: A present-day view inside the Whitney Vault; the tall green items are the Omori Seismometers.
A Year of Lava Fountains in the Forecast
Kīlauea volcano has historically erupted more than 35 episodes in the summit caldera since December 23, 2024. Lava fountains from two eruptive vents have built an impressive cone on the crater rim and incrementally filled in Halemaʻumaʻu crater with stacks of lava flows. Volcanic gas emissions and particles of lava are carried in downwind directions. Have there been similar eruptions in the history of Kīlauea? What are the hazards associated with this activity? How could this eruption potentially end? Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory deputy Scientist-in-Charge David Phillips as he answers these questions and more. USGS photo: Lava fountains from the north vent in Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea on July 9, 2025.
Volcanology 101
The Island of Hawaiʻi is one of the greatest natural classrooms on Earth to learn about volcanoes. Each new eruption provides a new set of questions to think about and try to answer! Have you ever wondered what causes a volcano to erupt, why volcanoes have different shapes, or why some eruptions are explosive while others produce only lava flows? Join Dr Lis Gallant, an Assistant Professor in the Geology Department at UH Hilo, for a lecture and Q+A session on the basics of volcanology. USGS photo: scientist measures volcanic gas during Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption in September 2024.