USGS scientists monitor Kilauea buildup and compare Hawaiian volcanoes with El Salvador’s

Kilauea volcano on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island remains quiet but is accumulating magma for a new episode of high lava fountaining expected this week, marking the start of episode 47 of the ongoing summit eruption. In March, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory visited El Salvador for volcanological field studies and a workshop on lava‑flow hazards. The trip helped both nations improve volcanic‑hazard awareness and informed USGS research on its own volcanoes. While Hawaiʻi’s eight main islands host 15 volcanoes above sea level, El Salvador, situated on the Central American volcanic arc, has more than 200 volcanoes, many small and only erupting once. Monitoring in El Salvador is carried out by the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN) with support from the USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, which is compiling a national volcano atlas and studying the eruptive history of volcanoes such as Santa Ana.