Hawaii volcanics

Quite a large increase in aerial coverage by lava and number of houses taken.

Guatemala has a much more acute and fatal problem with a stratovolcano.

 

I guess that most who ever saw nearby pyroclastic flows saw them last.

Pele is not like that - more oozy and less gassy. Italy's Etna and Guatemala's Fuego have none of Pele's geniality.

 

This recent friskiness has retired ~350 homes in 35 days, repaving ~20 km2

From 1983 to 2016, 4,4 km2 and 215 homes. Slower, but with better aim.

 

For 1.5 months this has dominated global earthquakes above magnitude 2.5 threshold. Lack of large earthquakes is beginning to seem odd. Maybe. Earth being so large, it is hard to suppose that pressure release in one place could cause quietness far away.

Mag 7 earthquakes are 10 to 20 per year, recent lack of these may mean nothing...

 

Know what's weird? Not clear-mechanism weird, just maybe-it's-a-coincidence weird.

From 2012 through 2017, global earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more averaged 11.7 per month.
From Jan through Apr 2018, global earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more averaged 9 per month.

Since May 3 when current Kilauea activity began, there have been 2.7 per month. Not counting a 6.9 at Kilauea.

I don't know that this current 44-day fewness is particularly unusual; deeper digging required.

Action site in Kilauea has had 50 to 500 earthquakes per day, but those have been much smaller. Rest of world, 20 to 30 per day above mag 2.5.

Earthquakes in general occur when local strain overcomes frictional forces between rock-chunks in disagreement. No evidence that a magma leak far away can influence those battles.

I'm go in' with coincidence for now. But it does sort a stick out.