Posts Tagged ‘ USGS ’

Earthquake Near New Zealand Won’t Generate Tsunami

October 9, 2012
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Earthquake Near New Zealand Won’t Generate Tsunami

An earthquake near the Antarctic Circle  that struck early Tuesday Hawaii time will not generate a tsunami.   The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in the Balleny Islands region at 2:32 a.m. Hawaii Standard time, 10:32 p.m. local Balleny Islands time.  It was initially estimated to be a 6.6 magnitude quake but the USGS downgraded it after reviewing the data.   The area is around 1200 miles South Southwest of New Zealand.   The Balleny Islands are a series of uninhabited islands consisting of three main islands and several small islands and rocky outcroppings that spread around…

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Lyman Museum Has Talk Monday About Hawaiian Hoary Bat

September 30, 2012
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Lyman Museum Has Talk Monday About Hawaiian Hoary Bat

Monday evening, Lyman Museum will host a talk about the Hawaiian Hoary Bat, and the public is invited. Thousands of years (and miles) removed from its North American ancestor, the Hawaiian hoary bat is one of only two endemic mammals and the only native land mammal in the Islands.  Listed as an endangered subspecies, it has its own fan website.  Monday at 7 p.m., USGS wildlife ecologist Dr. Frank Bonaccorso brings these tiny creatures out of the darkness and into the light, exploring the life and habits of `?pe`ape`a.  He’ll discuss their food habits, distribution…

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1971 Eruption Ended 52 Years of Southwest Rift Zone Quiet

September 22, 2012
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1971 Eruption Ended 52 Years of Southwest Rift Zone Quiet

From Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: On September 24, 1971,Kilauea’s southwest rift zone erupted for the first time in 52 years. Kilauea’s east rift zone had been erupting almost nonstop since May 1969, but activity at the Mauna Ulu vent was declining by mid-1971. In fact, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists noted in July that changes in the volcano’s behavior might be afoot. HVO’s speculation was confirmed on August 14, when lava erupted at the summit of Kilauea for about 10 hours.  The east rift zone eruption continued at a low level, but during the next…

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Volcanic Ash–A Hazard to Planes?

September 6, 2012
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Volcanic Ash–A Hazard to Planes?

The relatively small explosive eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano more than two years ago focused attention on the hazards of volcanic ash to aviation like no other event because of the extreme cost and prolonged disruption to millions of travelers, businesses, and the aviation industry. If you weren’t directly affected by Iceland ash, you probably knew someone who was. Some of the volcanic ash erupted from Eyjafjallajökull was blown by winds over parts of Europe.  To prevent any aircraft from encountering ash in flight, more than 100,000 flights were cancelled and more than 300 European…

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Volcano Watch: Jaggar’s Acorn Now an Oak Tree

August 27, 2012
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Volcano Watch: Jaggar’s Acorn Now an Oak Tree

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has monitored, studied, and served as an information source about Hawaiian volcanism for the past 100 years.  The acorn that Thomas Jaggar planted in 1912 has grown into an oak tree over the years. Today, HVO is part of a substantially larger organization: the USGS Volcano Hazard Program, which currently operates five volcano observatories. The USGS has continuously operated HVO since 1947. Before 1980, the perceived probability of volcanic eruptions within the conterminous United States was generally low, because only a single significant eruption had occurred there in the 20th century. …

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Earthquake Swarms Hit SoCal

August 26, 2012
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The United States Geological Service says dozens of small earthquakes struck the southeastern corner of California on Sunday.  The largest quake was a magnitude 5.5 and was about three miles northwest of the town of Brawley.  Other quakes were in the 5.3 magnitude area.  There have been around 30 quakes registered so far. The quakes seem to have caused minor damage.  In the alerts issued by the USGS, the nearby cities were listed as Brawley, Westmorland, Calipatria, and El Centro, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. The area has had earthquake swarms before, the last major one…

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Volcano Scientists Gather on Kohala Coast

August 19, 2012
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Volcano Scientists Gather on Kohala Coast

More than 150 volcanologists from around the world will gather on the Island of Hawai`i starting today, Sunday, August 19 and going through Friday, to participate in “Hawaiian Volcanoes: From Source to Surface,” a Chapman Conference convened by the American Geophysical Union.   As part of a year-long commemoration of the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s 100th anniversary, the conference provides an unparalleled opportunity for scientists to reflect on how far their understanding of Hawaiian volcanoes has come since HVO was founded in 1912.  Conference participants will also look to the future, identifying the…

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Kohala Library to Present Bat Talk

August 6, 2012
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Kohala Library to Present Bat Talk

“The establishment of bats in Hawai‘i is among the most spectacular over-water colonization events in mammalian history,” says Frank J. Bonaccorso, Ph.D., wildlife ecologist and author of Natural History and Migration of the Endangered ‘Ape‘ape‘a in Hawai‘i. On Monday, August 13  at 6:30 pm, “bat man” Dr. Frank Bonaccorso and his team will visit North Kohala Public Library to share fascinating insights into our only native land mammal. These USGS researchers “listen” to the activity of ‘Ope‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bats) around the Big Island and collect data using acoustic equipment.   Come, “hang out” and…

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HVO Scientists Remember Kilauea’s 1974 Eruption

August 1, 2012
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HVO Scientists Remember Kilauea’s 1974 Eruption

From Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: At 3:45 a.m., Friday, July 19, 1974, a flurry of earthquakes on Kilauea triggered the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s “tremor alarm.”  In response, Bob Tilling, an HVO geologist, rushed to the observatory, located in what is now the Jaggar Museum in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Reaching HVO within 15 minutes, Tilling saw, as expected, the distant glow from Kilauea’s middle east rift zone, where an active vent had been erupting almost continuously—and often spectacularly—since May 1969.  For five years, this ongoing eruption had produced high lava fountains and sent numerous lava…

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67 Birds Dead of Avian Botulism on Maui

June 23, 2012
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67 Birds Dead of Avian Botulism on Maui

Release from the Department of Land and Natural Resources: Wetland biologists and others involved in managing lands with associated wetlands have been notified by the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) of a recent avian botulism outbreak affecting waterbirds on Maui. In just over a week, 67 birds have been found dead at Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Kahului including Hawaiian Stilt, Hawaiian Coot, and Hawaiian Ducks of adult and juvenile stages.  The paralytic disease has killed adult birds on their nests, also causing the eggs to be lost.…

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Earthquake Hits off Kiholo Friday Afternoon

June 16, 2012
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Earthquake Hits off Kiholo Friday Afternoon

An earthquake hit off the Kona Coast Friday afternoon at 2:18.  The United States Geological Survey says it was magnitude 3.8, at a depth of around 25 miles.   It was located 16 miles north of Kailua-Kona, 15 miles west of the summit of Hualalai,  offshore near Kiholo Bay.   Many in the Kohala area felt the quake, but  there were no known reports of damage. Fishing writer Jim Rizzuto, who lives in Waimea,  said it got him up from his desk and he headed towards the door, but then it stopped.  He also said  “a…

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Study Says Beaches Eroding–Seawalls One Cause

May 13, 2012
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Study Says Beaches Eroding–Seawalls One Cause

An assessment of coastal change over the past century has found 70 percent of beaches on the islands of Kaua’i, O’ahu, and Maui are undergoing long-term erosion, according to a U.S. Geological Survey and University of Hawai’i report released May 7.    The study says humans have helped speed the process, especially by building seawalls.   Scientists from the USGS and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UH studied more than 150 miles of island coastline (essentially every beach) and found the average rate of coastal change – taking into account beaches…

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Volcanoes Park Lauded for Air Quality Monitoring

May 8, 2012
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Volcanoes Park Lauded for Air Quality Monitoring

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has earned the National Safety and Health Group Award from the National Park Service for its work in monitoring air quality within the park, and communicating the information to the public and employees.   In 2011, the park’s air quality (AQ) team installed seven stations that measure at 15-minute intervals sulfur dioxide (SO2) and volcanic particulates downwind of Kilauea’s two active locations at Halema‘uma‘u and Pu‘u ‘O‘o. The findings are monitored and shared in real time at http://www.hawaiiso2network.com/.   The site offers a multitude of data, including AQ findings, weather conditions…

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