Hawaiian Volcano Update: Unrest Resumes on Kīlauea and AI Art Special

No eruption on Kīlauea. All eruptive activity ceased following the brief eruption on June 3 on Kīlauea’s Southwest Rift Zone. Kīlauea’s summit SO2 emissions have substantially declined over the past two weeks, returning to near background levels of 50-100 tonnes per day at the summit, a stark contrast to the heightened levels of SO2 near 15,000 tonnes per day in the SWRZ immediately following the eruption onset. According to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the total SO2 emissions from the summit and recent eruption site are likely less than 200 t/d.

Seismic activity around Kīlauea has resumed, with above background levels of earthquakes observed before the June 3rd eruption, primarily beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and the south caldera region. This earthquake activity indicates the ongoing movement of magma beneath the surface and repressurization of the volcanic system around the summit. It is uncertain whether this heightened activity will result in an intrusion or eruption soon, or if it will merely persist as seismic unrest at depth.

Ground deformation measurements around the summit region have shown a recent uptick in inflation, also indicating magma accumulating. Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the middle and lower East Rift Zone and lower Southwest Rift Zone are low, showing that current activity is focused around the summit region and upper rift zones.

As usual, we review the monitoring signals, imagery, and reports available courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

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Special On Artificial Intelligence Art and Difficulties in Identifying Computer-Generated Content. This week's live stream features a special presentation on artificial intelligence's capability to create realistic images depicting major disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, hurricane aftermath, and tsunamis. We will revisit some AI-generated images from last year and put them through the latest versions of MidJourney and Dall-E to see how the technology has evolved. While much of the “AI art” we have created can be easily distinguished from real photos, others present a significant challenge in discerning AI-generated fiction from authentic imagery.

Could an AI-generated image fool you into thinking something is happening on Hawai'i Island that isn’t?

Join us as we explore the advancements in AI image generation, discuss the implications of such technology, and test your ability to spot the imperfections that help identify AI Art in the real world.