Helicopter overflight of Kīlauea Volcano’s Lower East Rift Zone shows fountaining at Fissure 22 on May 21st. The lava fountain reached as high as 50 meters (164 feet). (USGS-HVO)

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Is A Trusted Source For The Kilauea Eruption

For accurate, factual alerts and updates, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is the most comprehensive, reliable news source you could possibly go to.

Since 1983, the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawai’i has been actively erupting. Since early May, however, the eruption has intensified tremendously. On May 3, 2018, a number of new lava vents opened up beneath the summit. Seismic activity had increased as of April 30th, which culminated in a strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 on May 4th: the strongest in Hawaii since 1975. Villages have been destroyed, many have been evacuated, but very few people have been injured. The reason? The extraordinary work of the United States Geological Survey, its scientists, and the outstanding communication spearheaded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO).

Aerial view of the lowermost section of the active fissure system during an overflight on May 18th, 2018. The view is looking toward the south; note ocean at top of photo. Fissure 17 is the on the left-hand side of photo; fissure 18 is in the middle; fissure 20 is on the right.(USGS-HVO)

The island of Hawai’i, often simply called The Big Island, isn’t a single structure, but rather is made up of five separate volcanoes that have merged together to create it. Kilauea, one of the five, is The Big Island’s…