Kilauea pauses after 10 hours of fountains of up to 1,000 feet high
COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
A view of the Halea‘uma‘u crater from the northwest rim.
COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
A screenshot of the live view from Halemaumau crater from the eastern rim of the caldera this morning.
UPDATE: 4:50 p.m.
Kilauea’s latest ‘episode 22’ ended abruptly at 3:29 p.m. today, according to USGS.
The north vent stopped erupting this afternoon after 10 hours and 16 minutes of continuous lava fountains reaching up to 1,000 feet high.
Lava flows covered about 40 percent of the Halemaumau crater floor with an estimated volume of 3.8 million cubic meters or 5 million cubic yards of erupted lava, according to HVO.
EARLIER COVERAGE
Lava fountains reaching up to 1,000 feet erupted from the summit of Kilauea early this morning, marking the start of another episode in the volcano’s ongoing eruptive cycle.
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The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said high fountaining began at 5:13 a.m., following a series of smaller gas-piston events that started just before 11 p.m. Thursday. The activity is confined to Halemaumau Crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
By 6 a.m., lava fountains from the north vent peaked at 800 to 1,000 feet, before settling to oscillate around 328 to 492 feet. Multiple lava streams were active by 6:10 a.m., covering roughly 30 to 40% of the crater floor. The eruption remains within a closed area of the park.
The current Volcano Alert Level is “WATCH,” and the Aviation Color Code is “ORANGE,” indicating an eruption is underway but poses limited hazards.
This latest activity, classified as “episode 22,” follows a pattern of short-lived fountaining events that began in December. Most episodes have lasted a day or less, with pauses between eruptions lasting several days.
The primary concern remains high levels of volcanic gases, particularly sulfur dioxide, which reacts in the atmosphere to form vog (volcanic smog). Depending on wind direction, vog can affect air quality miles downwind of the eruption site and cause respiratory irritation.
Other hazards include “Pele’s hair” — strands of volcanic glass produced by lava fountains — and other fine fragments, which can cause skin and eye irritation. These materials can be carried far from the vent by wind.
Additionally, areas near the caldera rim remain dangerous due to unstable crater walls, rockfalls and ground cracking. The area around Halemaumau has been closed to the public since 2007 due to persistent hazards.
No unusual activity has been observed along Kilauea’s East or Southwest Rift Zones, and the eruption remains confined to the summit region.
HVO will issue another update Saturday morning unless conditions change significantly.
