(BIVN) – Mauna Loa is not erupting, and the massive Hawaiʻi island volcano has been relatively quiet over the past month.

On Thursday, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory issued its monthly Mauna Loa update. Scientists reported a 34% percent increase in seismicity over the previous month. 

The Observatory said earthquake clustering under Mauna Loa’s upper-Southwest Rift Zone dissipated this month, but there was an increase in small events, dispersed deeper under the volcano. 

“The volcano remains relatively quiet nonetheless, with 70 small-magnitude earthquakes (below M3.0) detected beneath its summit, which is expected for this volcano following its eruption in 2022,” the scientists wrote. 

USGS webcam image of Mauna Loa’s upper and middle Southwest Rift Zone from Dandelion Cone along the middle part of the rift zone [MDLcam].

From the August 7th update by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:

Data from Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments on Mauna Loa have continued to show only minor inflation beneath the summit as the volcano recovers from the 2022 eruption and magma replenishes the reservoir system.

Gas and temperature data from a station on Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone show that average hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations are below about 5 ppm, sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations remain below the detection limit, and average fumarole temperatures remain below 84°C. All of these values represent background conditions for the volcano, little changed from previous months.

HVO continues to closely monitor Mauna Loa and will issue another update in one month, or earlier, should conditions change significantly.