Seismicity of the 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption

The 2018 Kīlauea eruption produced unprecedented levels of seismicity in the volcano’s instrumented history. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory documented about 80,000 earthquakes during the 3-month eruption, starting with the dramatic collapse of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone on April 30 and ending with the final Kīlauea summit caldera collapse event on August 5. The sequence included a magnitude-6.9 south flank earthquake, the largest for Hawaii in 45 years. HVO seismologist Brian Shiro recounts the 2018 earthquake story, including how HVO adapted its techniques to monitor the events, and describes current levels of seismicity and HVO’s ongoing efforts to improve seismic monitoring.

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USGS photo: HVO seismologist Brian Shiro checks a seismic station deployed to monitor Kīlauea Volcano’s 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption.