Volcano Watch is a weekly newsletter written by the scientists at the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It is published in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald's Sunday newspaper and the West Hawai'i Today's Monday newspaper, and posted here the following Monday or Tuesday. While primarily addressed to the residents of the Big Island of Hawai`i, some articles may have a broader scope. Article topics may range from volcanic features on the Big Island, volcanic hazards, informational topics of Long Valley, Montserrat, or Alaska, to topics about the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Latest Issue:

October 30, 2008: Lava and ice mingle in the South Sandwich Islands

Previous Issue:

October 23, 2008: Sometimes, Volcanoes need to be left alone

Pu`u `Ō`ō continues to produce sulfur dioxide at even higher rates than the vent in Halema`uma`u Crater. Trade winds tend to pool these emissions along the West Hawai`i coast, while kona winds blow these emissions into communities to the north, such as Mountain View, Volcano, and Hilo.

Lava continues to erupt from the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) vent and flows toward the ocean through a well-established lava tube. Lava breakouts in the Royal Gardens subdivision were interrupted in the past week by a deflation-inflation (DI) event at the summit on October 25-27. This event also caused a short pause in activity at the ocean entry. Activity resumed at the coast on October 28, as did breakouts on the lower part of pali in Royal Gardens.

Be aware that active lava deltas can collapse at any time, potentially generating large explosions. This may be especially true during times of rapidly changing lava supply conditions. Do not venture onto the lava deltas. Even the intervening beaches are susceptible to large waves generated during delta collapse; avoid these beaches. In addition, steam plumes rising from ocean entries are highly acidic and laced with glass particles. Check Civil Defense Web site (http://www.lavainfo.us) or call 961-8093 for viewing hours.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. One earthquake was located beneath the summit this past week. Continuing extension between locations spanning the summit indicates slow inflation of the volcano.

Three earthquakes beneath Hawai`i Island were reported felt within the past week. A magnitude-2.6 earthquake occurred at 00:23 a.m., H.s.t., on Saturday, October 25, 2008, and was located 13 km (8 miles) south of Honoka`a at a depth of 34 km (21 miles). A magnitude-2.4 earthquake occurred at 5:31 a.m. on Wednesday, October 29, and was located 25 km (16 miles) southwest of Hawi at a depth of 5 km (3 miles). A magnitude-2.6 earthquake occurred at 6:43 p.m. on the same day and was located 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Kawaihae at a depth of 17 km (10 miles).

Visit our Web site (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov) for daily Kīlauea eruption updates, a summary of volcanic events over the past year, and nearly real-time Hawai`i earthquake information. Kilauea daily update summaries are also available by phone at (808) 967-8862. Questions can be emailed to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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