Earthquake & Volcano Monitor — 2026-05-15
Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii has resumed activity with precursory lava overflows at the Halemaʻumaʻu south vent, raising the aviation color code to Orange and the alert level to Watch. Mayon volcano in the Philippines produced an ash-generating eruption on May 13, while Kupreanof volcano in Alaska remains at elevated Yellow alert status. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck near Iwo Jima, Japan early on May 15, and a new scientific study reveals how a massive "stealth" magma surge beneath Portugal's São Jorge Island triggered thousands of earthquakes in 2022.
Earthquake & Volcano Monitor — 2026-05-15
Seismic Activity
M5.2 — North Pacific Ocean near Iwo Jima, Japan (May 15) A strong magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the North Pacific Ocean approximately 41 km north of Iwo Jima Island, Tokyo, Japan, in the early morning hours of Friday, May 15, 2026 at 12:34 a.m. local time (GMT+9).
M2.5 — Leyte, Philippines (May 15) A weak magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 26 km northwest of Carigara, Province of Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines on May 15 at 09:28 a.m. local time (GMT+8).
Volcanic Watch
🔴 Kīlauea (Hawaii) — Alert Level: WATCH / Aviation Color: ORANGE The Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at Kīlauea's summit has reactivated. As of May 14, precursory lava overflows began from the south vent at 2:57 a.m. HST, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Episode 47 lava fountaining was forecast to begin later that day or the following day. The volcano alert level has been raised to WATCH and the aviation color code to ORANGE.
🟠 Mayon Volcano (Philippines) — Ash Advisory Issued May 13 Two volcanic ash advisories were issued for Mayon volcano (elevation 2,462m, Bicol Region, Philippines) on May 13, 2026 — one by VAAC Tokyo at 03:45 UTC reporting an eruption column extending to FL120 to the southeast, and a follow-up advisory from VAAC Darwin at 11:04 UTC. Mayon remains at Alert Level 3.
🟡 Kupreanof (Alaska) — Alert Level: YELLOW (Elevated) Kupreanof volcano on the Alaska Peninsula continues at elevated alert status with elevated seismic activity. The alert level was raised to Yellow (Advisory) earlier this week and remains in effect.
📢 Additional Activity Summary (May 13) The May 13 volcano news roundup noted increasing volcanic earthquakes at Maekan (Akan, Japan), constant degassing with a 400m plume over the dome at Santiaguito (Guatemala), small spatter bursts at Kīlauea's north vent, and weekly bulletins from Colombia's SGC covering additional volcanoes.
Earth Science
"Stealth" Magma Surge Solved: São Jorge Island Mystery New research published May 13, 2026 has shed light on a dramatic 2022 event beneath Portugal's São Jorge Island in the Azores. Scientists discovered that a massive magma surge silently pushed upward from more than 20 kilometers underground, triggering thousands of earthquakes and briefly raising fears of a volcanic eruption. The molten rock climbed quickly but never breached the surface — earning it the label of a "stealth" magma intrusion. The findings offer important new insights into how magma behaves before eruptions and how such events might be detected and monitored in the future.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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