Aviation Color Code News Today

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is lowering the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from WATCH to ADVISORY and the Aviation Color Code from ORANGE to YELLOW.

The Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards was raised from watch to warning, and the Aviation Color Code was changed from orange to red after the new eruption began around 12:30 a.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET). Those levels have since been...

Last week, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists were closely monitoring earthquakes and ground deformation in the region southwest of Kilauea’s summit. The increased unrest prompted HVO to raise the Alert Level/Aviation Color Code for Kilauea to WATCH/ORANGE on Jan. 31 as another intrusive event began beneath the surface.

On Feb. 3, 2024, a team of HVO scientists documented new ground cracks in three areas of the Maunaiki Trail in the Ka‘ū Desert, caused by the intrusion southwest of Kīlauea’s summit caldera.

What do magma intrusions mean at Hawai'i Volcanos National Park?

A plume of discolored water was observed in the vicinity of Ahyi Seamount in satellite images from Monday afternoon. It is possible that this plume is due to underwater volcanic activity however pressure sensors at Wake Island that have been used in the past to confirm underwater volcanic activity are not currently operational.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory issued an information statement on Friday evening reporting elevated unrest and increased seismicity to the south of Kīlauea’s summit. The HVO reports that Kīlauea is not erupting, but that the increased unrest started at around 1:10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, and is continuing.

Earthquake swarms like this can precede eruptions, but there is no lateral or upward migration of earthquakes that would suggest magma is moving toward the surface at this time.

Iceland ordered a State of Emergency and evacuation near Blue Lagoon after experts warned people of a possible explosive volcanic eruption. Read more here.

Meteorologists believe the quakes are indicative of an incoming volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula.