With the hustle and bustle of the holidays upon us, Hawaii Island residents likely are giving little thought to the volcanic terrain beneath their feet.

A widely-held belief is that Thomas Jaggar, founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, was able to stop a Mauna Loa lava flow in 1935.

If you follow Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing East Rift Zone eruption, you are likely aware that when lava enters the ocean, it often forms new land. But what is this new land called?

Highway 200, the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, crosses Humu‘ula Saddle, which separates Maunakea and Mauna Loa, the two largest volcanoes on the Island of Hawaii. This saddle showcases outstanding volcanic geology and is easy to reach for “roadside geologists.”

Scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory routinely collect lava samples from Kilauea and use the chemistry of these samples to infer the temperature of magma (molten rock below Earth’s surface).

Careful readers of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website might have noticed mention of “threat rankings” in the lower right corner of our new home page (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/).

The primary goal of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is to provide scientific information to reduce risks due to volcanic and seismic activity. To this end, HVO scientists assess volcano hazards and inform the public and civic officials using media outlets, community forums and other outreach activities.

In March 2008, a new volcanic vent opened within Halema‘uma‘u, a crater at the summit of Kilauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The eruption continues today, with continuous degassing, occasional explosive events and an active, circulating lava lake.

As the summer months began to wind down this year, nature’s fury began to wind up and grab much of the news cycle.