Geology Department
For information on current volcanic hazards, please visit the web sites of Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense
and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory .
Things not so hot where you live? Wouldn’t you rather be outdoors in Hawaiʻi with a field notebook, studying active volcanoes? Imagine living in Hawaiʻi surrounded by erupting volcanoes, lush rainforests, high mountain peaks, and the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. This could be your life if you enroll at the Geology program, or the Natural Science program, at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. We offer an affordable undergraduate education with small classes and personalized instruction. Visit our Mentos page, which explains how the famous Mentos & Diet Coke explosions work, and how expanding gas relates to volcanoes.
Visit our high-resolution Gallery featuring Jack Dykinga photos of students working around lava!
Several reasons to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo:
- Affordable education on a beautiful campus.
- Small class sizes.
- Hilo is the perfect college town.
- Watch volcanoes erupt.
- Excellent outdoor recreational activities.
- Internship opportunities at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
- New! Gordon A. Macdonald research grant for Geology majors!
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you!