Recent Mauna Loa Status Reports, Updates, and Information Releases
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE
Thursday, May 9, 2013 11:55 AM HST (Thursday, May 9, 2013 21:55 UTC)
HALEAKALA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-06-) 20°42'29" N 156°15' W, Summit Elevation 10023 ft (3055 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
There were no detected earthquakes and no other significant changes.
Background: The most recent eruption on Haleakala was probably between A.D. 1480 and 1600. Haleakala Volcano is monitored by a continuous GPS instrument and a seismometer located near the southwest edge of the crater. Key sites on Haleakala are resurveyed using GPS receivers every few years to detect any changes in the volcano's shape.
HUALALAI VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-04-) 19°41'31" N 155°52'12" W, Summit Elevation 8278 ft (2523 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
No unusual seismicity or deformation was detected. One earthquake was detected beneath the summit and northwest rift zone areas.
Background: Hualalai is the third most active volcano on Hawai`i Island and typically erupts 2 to 3 times per 1,000 years. Hualalai last erupted in 1801 and, more recently, had a damaging seismic swarm in 1929 that probably was the result of a shallow intrusion of magma. Hualalai Volcano is monitored by a single continuous GPS instrument and a single seismometer located southwest of the summit as well as several instruments on nearby flanks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Key sites on Hualalai and West Mauna Loa are resurveyed every other year to detect any changes in the volcano's shape. In addition, Hualalai deformation is assessed several times per year using satellite radar interferometry.
LO`IHI VOLCANO 18°55'12" N 155°16'12" W, Summit Elevation -3199 ft (-975 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: UNASSIGNED Current Aviation Color Code: UNASSIGNED
No unusual seismicity was detected. THREE earthquakes (>5 km deep) were detected in the area.
Background: Lo`ihi was last active in 1952, when activity probably generated a small local tsunami, and 1996. There are no working instruments on Lo`ihi Volcano whose peak is about 1,000 m below sea level. All current information about the volcano is derived from land-based seismometers on Hawai`i Island.
MAUNA KEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-03-) 19°49'12" N 155°28'12" W, Summit Elevation 13796 ft (4205 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
No unusual deformation or seismicity was detected.
Two earthquakes were located beneath Mauna Kea at depths greater than 13 km (8 mi), one event was located at shallower depths.
Background: Mauna Kea was last active about 4,600 years ago. Monitoring is conducted using three seismometers and one GPS receiver on the volcano plus instruments on adjacent Kohala volcano and denser seismic and geodetic networks on the north flank of Mauna Loa to the south. In addition, satellite radar interferometry data are available a few times per month with which possible deformation can also be evaluated.
MAUNA LOA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-02=) 19°28'30" N 155°36'29" W, Summit Elevation 13681 ft (4170 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
Mauna Loa was not inflating. Seismicity rates were slightly elevated.
Deformation: is occurring at slow rates dominated by continued southeast motion of the southeast flank. Localized uplift (~1 cm/yr rate) has been measured near the summit caldera.
Seismicity: Seismic activity in the mid- and upper-crust under the summit was above background levels. HVO seismic networks detected 1 shallow event beneath the summit area, 3 mid-crustal events (5-20 km) events below the summit, 6 shallow events on southwest rift, and 1 shallow event on the NE rift zone.
Gas: No significant changes in SO2, CO2 were recorded by the Moku`aweoweo gas and temperature monitors during April. Aside from a brief, weather induced dip on 23 April, fumarole temperatures hovered between 72 and 74 degrees C during the month
Background: Re-inflation of Mauna Loa's shallow magma storage reservoirs started immediately following the most recent eruption in 1984, then turned to deflation for almost a decade. In mid-2002, inflation started again, just after a brief swarm of deep long-period (LP) earthquakes. A more intense swarm of several thousand deep Long Period (LP) earthquakes occurred in late 2004, immediately preceding a dramatic increase in inflation rate. Inflation slowed again in 2006, ceased altogether in late 2009, and resumed slowly in late 2010.
Rising gradually to more than 4 km above sea level, Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on our planet. Its long submarine flanks descend to the sea floor an additional 5 km, and the sea floor in turn is depressed by Mauna Loa's great mass another 8 km. This makes the volcano's summit about 17 km (56,000 ft) above its base! The enormous volcano covers half of the Island of Hawai`i and by itself amounts to about 85 percent of all the other Hawaiian Islands combined.
Mauna Loa is among Earth's most active volcanoes, having erupted 33 times since its first well-documented historical eruption in 1843. Its most recent eruption was in 1984.
CONTACT INFORMATION: askHVO@usgs.gov
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawai`i.
HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY MONTHLY UPDATE
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 7:44 AM HST (Tuesday, April 2, 2013 17:44 UTC)
HALEAKALA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-06-) 20°42'29" N 156°15' W, Summit Elevation 10023 ft (3055 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
There were no detected earthquakes and no other significant changes.
Background: The most recent eruption on Haleakala was probably between A.D. 1480 and 1600. Haleakala Volcano is monitored by a continuous GPS instrument and a seismometer located near the southwest edge of the crater. Key sites on Haleakala are resurveyed using GPS receivers every few years to detect any changes in the volcano's shape.
HUALALAI VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-04-) 19°41'31" N 155°52'12" W, Summit Elevation 8278 ft (2523 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
No unusual seismicity or deformation was detected. One earthquake was detected beneath the summit and northwest rift zone areas.
Background: Hualalai is the third most active volcano on Hawai`i Island and typically erupts 2 to 3 times per 1,000 years. Hualalai last erupted in 1801 and, more recently, had a damaging seismic swarm in 1929 that probably was the result of a shallow intrusion of magma. Hualalai Volcano is monitored by a single continuous GPS instrument and a single seismometer located southwest of the summit as well as several instruments on nearby flanks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Key sites on Hualalai and West Mauna Loa are resurveyed every other year to detect any changes in the volcano's shape. In addition, Hualalai deformation is assessed several times per year using satellite radar interferometry.
LO`IHI VOLCANO 18°55'12" N 155°16'12" W, Summit Elevation -3199 ft (-975 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: UNASSIGNED Current Aviation Color Code: UNASSIGNED
No unusual seismicity was detected. Two earthquakes (>5 km deep) were detected in the area.
Background: Lo`ihi was last active in 1952, when activity probably generated a small local tsunami, and 1996. There are no working instruments on Lo`ihi Volcano whose peak is about 1,000 m below sea level. All current information about the volcano is derived from land-based seismometers on Hawai`i Island.
MAUNA KEA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-03-) 19°49'12" N 155°28'12" W, Summit Elevation 13796 ft (4205 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
No unusual deformation or seismicity was detected.
One earthquake was located beneath Mauna Kea at depths greater than 13 km (8 mi), five events were located at shallower depths.
Background: Mauna Kea was last active about 4,600 years ago. Monitoring is conducted using three seismometers and one GPS receiver on the volcano plus instruments on adjacent Kohala volcano and denser seismic and geodetic networks on the north flank of Mauna Loa to the south. In addition, satellite radar interferometry data are available a few times per month with which possible deformation can also be evaluated.
MAUNA LOA VOLCANO (CAVW #1302-02=) 19°28'30" N 155°36'29" W, Summit Elevation 13681 ft (4170 m) Current Volcano Alert Level: NORMAL Current Aviation Color Code: GREEN
Mauna Loa was not inflating. Seismicity rates were slightly elevated.
Deformation: is occurring at slow rates dominated by continued southeast motion of the southeast flank. Localized uplift (~1 cm/yr rate) has been measured near the summit caldera.
Seismicity: Seismic activity in the mid- and upper-crust under the summit was above background levels. HVO seismic networks detected 5 shallow events beneath the summit area and 5 mid-crustal (5-20 km or 3 to 12 mi), 3 shallow events within the northeast rift zone, two shallow events within upper southwest rift.
Gas: No significant changes in SO2, CO2 were recorded by the Mokuaweoweo gas and temperature monitors during November. Fumarole temperature declined early in the month from about 73 to 71 degrees, before recovering towards the end of the month.
Background: Re-inflation of Mauna Loa's shallow magma storage reservoirs started immediately following the most recent eruption in 1984, then turned to deflation for almost a decade. In mid-2002, inflation started again, just after a brief swarm of deep long-period (LP) earthquakes. A more intense swarm of several thousand deep Long Period (LP) earthquakes occurred in late 2004, immediately preceding a dramatic increase in inflation rate. Inflation slowed again in 2006, ceased altogether in late 2009, and resumed slowly in late 2010.
Rising gradually to more than 4 km above sea level, Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on our planet. Its long submarine flanks descend to the sea floor an additional 5 km, and the sea floor in turn is depressed by Mauna Loa's great mass another 8 km. This makes the volcano's summit about 17 km (56,000 ft) above its base! The enormous volcano covers half of the Island of Hawai`i and by itself amounts to about 85 percent of all the other Hawaiian Islands combined.
Mauna Loa is among Earth's most active volcanoes, having erupted 33 times since its first well-documented historical eruption in 1843. Its most recent eruption was in 1984.
CONTACT INFORMATION: askHVO@usgs.gov
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawai`i.
