How to Keep a Close Eye on Those Active Volcanoes at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

For most of us, a trip to Hawaii and its national parks is not a spur-of-the-moment adventure. But that's not to say you can't keep an eye on the Big Island's two active volcanoes from the comfort of your home.

If you surf over to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's website, you'll find webcams keeping tabs on the islands' active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

While these webcams operate 24 hours a day, there's not much to see overnight, unless there's some activity going on. That said, the observatory's website is packed with information, both in words, pictures, and movies. (It's a perfect resource for your junior and senior high school students when it comes time for their earth science projects).

The accompanying photo of ongoing spattering in the Halema `um `ua crater vent on Kilauea was taken on January 14. According to the observatory, the lava surface in the vent "rose to its highest level in at least a year. The ponded surface covered most of the bottom the collapse pit in the floor of Halema`uma`u, and was probably more than 100 (meters) across. ... Much of the time, however, the lava level was much lower, forming rapidly moving river of lava that cascaded into a deeper hole on the north side of the pit floor."