One of the primary ways researchers know something is happening at depth is watching the data from tiltmeters. These tiltmeter data from the last month show pressure building at Kīlauea’s summit and then quickly deflating once it erupted on Dec. 20 (blue line). The green line shows very little occurring at the East Rift Zone. Credit: USGS

One of the primary ways researchers know something is happening at depth is watching the data from tiltmeters. These tiltmeter data from the last month show pressure building at Kīlauea’s summit and then quickly deflating once it erupted on Dec. 20 (blue line). The green line shows very little occurring at the East Rift Zone. Credit: USGS

One of the primary ways researchers know something is happening at depth is watching the data from tiltmeters. These tiltmeter data from the last month show pressure building at Kīlauea’s summit and then quickly deflating once it erupted on Dec. 20 (blue line). The green line shows very little occurring at the East Rift Zone. Credit: USGS

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