January 2012 HVO’s 100th Anniversary and Volcano Awareness Month

Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., arrived on Kīlauea and took over the continuous study of Hawai‘i’s active volcanoes on January 17, 1912—the date often noted as the founding of HVO, America’s first volcano observatory. Jaggar, shown at work in HVO’s first building in 1925 (left), served as the Director of HVO until his retirement in 1940. The events leading to Jaggar’s arrival, as well as HVO’s accomplishments since 1912, are recounted in “The Story of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory—A Remarkable First 100 Years of Tracking Eruptions and Earthquakes,” a newly published USGS General Interest Product. HVO celebrates its 100th anniversary with an Open House on Saturday, January 21. Island residents and visitors are invited to tour the observatory (not usually open to the public) and interact with HVO scientists on this special day. Scheduled activities include displays and demonstrations on Hawaiian volcanoes and HVO’s work, and more. In honor of our centennial, HVO hosted a poster contest for Hawai‘i Island 4th grade students. The Grand Prize poster (right) and other winning posters will be displayed at HVO’s Open House on January 21. All posters entered in the contest will be displayed at KTA stores in Hilo, Kamuela, and Kailua from January 16 to February 10, 2012. January 2012 is Hawai‘i Island’s 3rd annual Volcano Awareness Month. HVO, in cooperation with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, is offering numerous public programs—talks, hikes, and other events, scheduled throughout the month—to promote the importance of understanding the volcanoes on which we live and to celebrate HVO’s centennial.