How Listening to Ocean Waves Can Predict Volcanic Eruptions

USGS researchers applied 'ambient noise interferometry'—measuring how quickly ocean wave sounds travel through volcanic rock via seismometers—to data from Kīlauea and found the technique detected changes in subsurface conditions: sounds slowed two months before a 2020 eruption and accelerated four days before a 2025 fountaining event.

The technique is still being tested and evaluated with each new eruptive episode; it has shown promising results but remains in development as a forecasting tool.