What is the current status of Hualalai? Is it still expanding? If so,
at what rate?
Landon Curt Noll
Dear Landon,
Hualalai is an active volcano. The resort town of Kailua is on the
southwest flank of the volcano. Hualalai last erupted in 1801 and sent
lava from a vent on its northeast rift down to the ocean. Swarms of
earthquakes in 1929 were probably the result of magma movement within the
volcano but there was not an eruption. Hualalai is monitored by
geologists of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
In the last 24 years there have been no swarms of microearthquakes nor
any
harmonic tremor
. Since the early 1980's the
geologists have been surveying the volcano. Hualalai is not expanding at
the present time nor has expanded since the geologists began making their
measurements. They will make another set of measurements in late
October. If anything changes I'm sure we'll hear about it.
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
Source of Information:
Asta Miklius, U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
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