Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, with a majority of its eruptions occurring at its summit or one of its two rift zones, the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone. The Southwest Rift Zone hasn’t erupted since New Year’s Eve 1974, almost exactly 49 years ago.

Apupu platter is an assortment of appetizers commonly served at social gatherings in Hawaii. During one week in December 2023, island of Hawaii residents and visitors were treated to an assortment of earthquakes resulting from a variety of different geologic processes, like a pupu platter of earthquakes!

For centuries even before we celebrated Dec. 25 as the day Jesus was born, earlier cultures celebrated the passing of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The days will now get longer even though it is technically the beginning of winter and will last until the beginning of spring. Spring officially occurs when the sun reaches the equator as it appears to move northward. Of course what is actually happening is that the Earth is tilting toward the South Pole and will continue to do so until June 21. Then it is officially summer. Since we are roughly at latitude 19 degrees north, the sun will appear to move northward for a short time and then move toward the south until Dec. 21. Many plants respond to day length, including plants that form bulbs.

Kilauea has erupted three times in 2023 — January–March, June, and September — and has also experienced significant intrusive activity to the southwest of the summit since the beginning of October.

The W. M. Keck Observatory on Thursday announced the appointment of Rich Matsuda as its next director, effective Jan. 1.

KAILUA-KONA — It’s never too early to mitigate risks, and perhaps no one knows that better than West Hawaii Explorations Academy.