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HVO - Magnitude-3.0 earthquake 35 km ENE of Waimānalo Beach, Oʻahu at 4:26 PM May 5, weak shaking reported. bit.ly/42rCVdd

Cascade volcanoes at normal background levels of activity this week: usgs.gov/programs/VHP/v. #CVO field teams finally get to take off snow boots. They're in Hawaii this week, helping to deploy 1800 small seismic nodes (temporarily) as part of the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project.

#Teachers: #USGS has a new #STEM career #poster for your #classroom. #Scientists from the #volcano observatories introduce the principles of critical thinking & curiosity-driven #science. Job titles & tasks increase #career awareness. In English & Spanish. pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/gi

Five years ago, volcanic activity at #Kilauea dramatically changed when magma intruded into the lower East Rift Zone (#LERZ). #HVO reflects on the destructive 2018 eruption in this week’s #VolcanoWatch. usgs.gov/observatories/

An aerial view looking downrift from Leilani Estates (Hawaii) at erupting fissures 5, 6, 19, and 22. Ponded lava from these fissures fed lava channels moving downslope, right side of the image, including the channels that fed the ocean entries just north of MacKenzie State Park. USGS photo taken on May 22, 2018, by S. Isgett.

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Large cracks run through Leilani Avenue near the old junction with Pohoiki Road. Lava spatter from fissure 6 (out of view on the left) covers the road and volcanic gas rises from cracks in the ground. This area was covered by lava from renewed fissure 6 activity on May 20. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on May 17, 2018.

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View from the visitor viewing area in front of the Jaggar Muesum (Kīlauea Volcano) at 7:45 a.m. HST on May 16, 2018. Explosive episodes from last night in Halemaumau Crater created ash falls which blanketed the surrounding landscape.

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#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: May 5, 1980 Scientists state bulging north flank results from magmatic intrusion into volcano during late March. Goat Rocks moves northward at a nearly constant rate of 4-5 ft/day. Smoke from slash burn leads to erroneous reports of lava flows.

Aerial view of Mount St. Helens' north flank on May 4, 1980.

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May 4

HVO Ofu-Olosega GREEN/NORMAL - No activity of concern for Ofu-Olosega. bit.ly/3nnxi0Y

May 4

HVO Ta'u Island GREEN/NORMAL - No activity of concern for Taʻū Island bit.ly/3NFtLpt

May 4

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: May 4, 1980 Local residents growing weary of life near an active volcano. Like saint-turned-sinner, the mountain has gone from a calm, dependable friend that radiated beauty, to a misshapen, ash-tarnished rebel. Nobody knows what to expect next.

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Newspaper article from The Oregonian (Portland, OR) May 4, 1980.

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May 3

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: May 3, 1980 Bulge moves outward by as much as 5 ft/day near Goat Rocks. Installation & use of instruments continues to grow. Scientists use seismic, tilt, distance surveys, gravity, magnetometers, & hydrologic changes to measure/monitor the volcano.

Photo of David Johnston (back to the camera) and field team taken May 2, 1980.

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Photo of Mount St. Helens taken May 1, 1980, annotated to show features.

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All volcanoes in California were at normal background levels of activity last week. ow.ly/k83p50Oa8GO May is Volcano Awareness Month in WA, but at CalVO we like to get in on the action too! Check out ow.ly/j8pM50Oa8GN to learn about our volcanoes and their hazards.

A photo taken from an airplane window looks out over a long lake surrounded by rolling hills, dotted with patches of snow. On the far side of the lake, a large conical mountain dominates the landscape. In the back, larger mountains fill the distance until stopping at the Pacific Ocean. The sky is intensely blue and streaked with fluffy clouds. (USGS photo of the Clear Lake Volcanic Field by J. Ball)

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Monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano, May 1, 2023

May is traditionally the start of field season & plans are underway to strengthen monitoring networks, collect data & conduct research in #Yellowstone. #YVO's Mike Poland outlines upcoming projects in this monthly update for May 1, 2023. youtu.be/c06KATHN73k

@YellowstoneNPS

youtube.com

May is traditionally the start of field season and plans are under way to strengthen monitoring networks, collect data, and conduct research to better unders...

During May 4-9, Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists will be in Sitka to talk about Mount Edgecumbe's low-level unrest and how AVO monitors volcanoes. All events are free and open to the public.

@alaska_avo

has the details. #VolcanoReady

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Alaska AVO

@alaska_avo

Hello Sitka! In advance of the Alaska Volcano Observatory adding more instruments to Mount Edgecumbe, we’re also visiting Sitka to chat with residents & keep everyone updated on the volcano’s low-level unrest. All events are free & open to the public. We hope to see you there! 1/

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#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: May 2, 1980 New gates, complete with padlocks, close north side. Toutle Lake School, ~26 mi downstream, conducts volcano drill; 511 students & 85 adults climb into school buses & head to high ground. Area built on mudflows from ancient eruptions.

Road closure on Highway 504 near Mount St. Helens. Photo taken May 3, 1980.

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Newspaper article from The Columbian (Vancouver, WA) dated May 1, 1980.

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#Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monthly update May 1, 2023, 9:50 AM MDT APRIL SUMMARY - background activity levels - 168 located quakes (max=M2.5) - continued caldera subsidence - no detected Steamboat Geyser eruptions (2 total in 2023) ow.ly/OmWK50O5IZW

The Northern Lights dance above the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. National Park Service photo by Jacob W. Frank, April 24, 2023. Available from https://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowstonenps/.

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We all know that Montana is Big Sky Country, but did you know it is Lava Flow Country as well? #Yellowstone #CalderaChronicles goes into the Sweetwater Hills in the southwestern part of the state to look at some Hawaiian-style basalt. ow.ly/pyQJ50O2ucV

Field photograph showing the plateau-like nature of Timber Hill basalt. The Sweetwater Fault (yellow) vertically offsets the Timber Hill basalt at least 700 feet at this location. Photograph by Jesse Mosolf, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, 2022.

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#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: May 1, 1980 A new observation post is established closer to the volcano, on a ridgetop 5.5 mi from the north flank. Coldwater II is equipped with cameras, monitoring equipment & radios. A travel trailer is home to USGS staff at the site 24/7.

Mount St. Helens, as viewed from the USGS' Coldwater II observation post 5.5 miles away. USGS photo taken May 2, 1980 by R. Hoblitt.

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USGS staff measure deformation of Mount St. Helens' north flank. Photo taken May 2, 1980 by R. Hoblitt.

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A travel trailer is set up to house USGS staff monitoring Mount St. Helens. Photo taken May 2, 1980 by R. Hoblitt.

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Apr 30

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 30, 1980 Rocks clatter down as #USGS scientist David Johnston kneels beside the crater water pond to fill sample bottles. He’s trying to figure out why SO2 emissions are so low. Maybe gases are dissolved in water? Analyses reveal no clues.

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#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 29, 1980

@thecolumbian

reports on danger of massive north-side avalanche of snow/ice/rock; siren to warn town of Toutle if a major slide into Spirit Lake touches off flooding of North Fork Toutle River; Harry Truman reaffirms decision to stay.

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Apr 28

Cascade volcanoes at normal background levels of activity this week: usgs.gov/programs/VHP/v. Coyote pauses outside #CVO. A powerful character in Indigenous oral histories, coyote is traveler, creator, trickster. We’ll keep close watch on data streams (per usual) just in case.

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Apr 28

The first of #USGS’ family of 5 volcano observatories began with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in 1912. Back then, Hawaii wasn't a state & Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park didn't exist. #HVO reflects on 111 years of history, in this week’s #VolcanoWatch usgs.gov/observatories/

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), founded in 1912 by Thomas A. Jaggar, was the first of five volcano observatories supported by USGS today. The “Technology Station” (circled) on the eastern rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater—at the summit of Kīlauea—was the first, though temporary, of several buildings that HVO has occupied since its founding. USGS photograph by Frank A. Perret.

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Apr 28

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 28, 1980 USGS' David Johnston is at the Coldwater observation post changing film on the time lapse. North flank deformation continues at an impressive rate. An area near Goat Rocks has moved northward/outward about 15-20 ft in the last 4 days.

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#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 27, 1980 At Timberline parking area, scientists set up distance measuring instruments (theodolite, geodimeter) to track surface changes. In 2 days, reflectors on Goat Rocks (dark brown area mid-way up slope on right) have moved 3 yards north.

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Apr 27

HVO - Magnitude-3.9 earthquake 10 km NNE of Hōnaunau-Nāpōʻopoʻo at 7:27 PM April 26, light shaking reported. bit.ly/3oHzsZn

Apr 27

HVO - Magnitude-4.2 Earthquake 12 km ESE of Volcano at 4:31 PM April 26, very light shaking reported. bit.ly/3HhfYkO

Apr 26

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 26, 1980 Ground monitoring techniques & expertise provided by HVO (having tracked inflation/deflation cycles at Mauna Loa). Data collected by Geodimeter Model 8 are combined with those made by theodolite to track changes on MSH's north flank.

Alt: Model 8 Geodimeter at Mount St. Helens’ east side, measures distances. Image taken April 25, 1980.

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Apr 25

NMI Ahyi Seamount UNASSIGNED/UNASSIGNED - Unrest at Ahyi seamount appears over. bit.ly/3Lu9j9g

Apr 25

All volcanoes in California were at normal levels of activity last week. usgs.gov/programs/VHP/v Visualizing big volumes like 0.1 km³ Obsidian Dome is tough - these analogs might help! A washer & dryer set = 1 m³, a cement mixer = 10 m³, & CalVO's neighbor Hangar One = 1/1000 km³

Two photos are stacked for comparison. On the top, a rubbly lava dome looms high above a forest of dark green pine trees, spreading its gray and black rocks over the landscape like a pile of toothpaste. On the bottom, the metal skeleton of a huge blimp hangar stands on a concrete airfield, with a helicopter and pilot in the foreground. They are dwarfed by the massive structure.

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Apr 25

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 25, 1980 Seemingly quiet, the volcano is far from dormant. Fumaroles emit steam. Seismic activity continues. There have been ~1,500 EQs larger than magnitude 3.0, including more than 200 larger than magnitude 4.0, recorded since March 20, 1980.

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This week's edition of #Yellowstone #CalderaChronicles goes on a deep dive to understand how hydrothermal vents on the floor of Yellowstone Lake compare to those on the ocean floor, like the famous “black smokers.” ow.ly/yGGO50NK0Pj

Photo of ~141 °C (286 °F) lake-bottom hydrothermal vent from 53 m (174 ft) depth in West Thumb basin of Yellowstone Lake. Here, chloride-rich hydrothermal fluids vent from small channels (~10 cm, or 4 in, diameter) through the sediments on the lake floor. Image acquired by the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration ROV Yogi on August 7, 2018.

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Apr 24

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 24, 1980 Activity seems to be diminishing. Some demand access to restricted areas like Spirit Lake. Primary hazard is an avalanche off north flank that could reach Spirit Lake in 2 min; there would be no way to warn people. Area remains closed.

USGS scientist Peter Lipman crosses Spirit Lake to check on monitoring equipment. Mount St. Helens in the distance. Photo taken April 27, 1980.

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Apr 23

AVO Katmai GREEN/NORMAL - Resuspended ash observed from 1912 eruption. Aviation color code and alert level remain at ... bit.ly/3ApDZm2

Apr 23

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 23, 1980 Improving weather provides opportunity for aerial photography. Comparisons with 1979 photo shows area of bulge moved ~300 ft upward/outward. Survey targets set up to track changes. New worry takes hold about stability of north flank.

The image shows scientists anchoring a pole with reflectors on the north flank of Mount St. Helens. The steel post was driven into ash (or wedged in rock) and guyed for stability. The wooden crossboard was painted fluorescent orange to enhance visibility as a theodolite target, and the attached cluster of plastic highway reflectors served as the Geodimeter target.

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Apr 23

HVO - Magnitude-4.2 Earthquake 2 km SSE of Volcano at 2:24 PM April 22, moderate felt shaking reported bit.ly/3N73GPU

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Apr 22

#43YearsAgo at #MountStHelens: Apr 22, 1980 Systematic observations resume after 5 days of bad weather. Activity at a low level: 2 small steam blasts barely clear crater rim, EQ rate same as previous wk. Plans underway for ground surveys high on north flank, weather permitting.

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#HVO field technicians upgraded Hualālai Repeater station, an important telemetry hub for volcano monitoring data. Site is on the SE side of Hualālai at 2,160 m (7,090 ft) above sea level. Techs installed new batteries & electronics system. More photos at usgs.gov/observatories/