Kīlauea summit eruption paused as of January 28. A new eruptive episode may begin this week in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
Episode 7 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly on January 28, 2025. Kīlauea's current eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) began on December 23, 2024. There have been 7 episodes of lava fountaining separated by pauses in activity. The eruption could resume at any time during the coming week based on current rates of summit inflation. All eruptive activity has occurred in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions and windblown volcanic glass (Pele's Hair) that may impact Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and nearby communities.
Summit Observations:
Bright glow, intermittent spatter, and continued degassing from the eruptive vents in Halemaʻumaʻu indicate that magma is close to the surface. Lava flows from episode 7 covered nearly half of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor, and spots of orange glow can still be seen on the crater floor as the erupted lava continues to cool.
Inflationary tilt continues but the rate of inflation has slowed to less than 1 microradian per day. The Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded less than 1 microradian of inflationary tilt over the past 24 hours and has been mostly stable for the past 15 hours. No significant earthquake activity was recorded in the summit region over the past 24 hours. Low level seismic tremor continues.
Weather conditions and episode timing have prevented accurate measurements of sulfur dioxide (SO) emission rate since earlier in the eruption sequence. Based on emissions measured during earlier episodes and pauses, SO emission rates are estimated to be near 1,000 t/d.
Strands of volcanic glass known as Pele's Hair have been reported on surfaces throughout the summit area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and surrounding communities.
Summit eruption livestream: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live
Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams
Summit eruption reference map: January 15, 2025 -- Kīlauea summit eruption reference map | U.S. Geological Survey
Volcano Watch article about Pele's Hair from this eruption: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-recent-lava-fountains-highlight-peles-hair-hazards
Rift Zone Observations:
Rates of seismicity and ground deformation remain very low in the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone with no significant earthquake activity in the past 24 hours.
Analysis:
The current eruption is marked by episodic fountaining not seen in any of the other Halemaʻumaʻu eruptions since 2020. Fountains and lava flows have erupted from two vents that we refer to as the north vent and south vent. The previous 7 fountaining episodes lasted from a few hours to over a week. Each fountaining episode has been accompanied by strong deflation of the summit region. Pauses between the fountaining episodes have been marked by an immediate change from deflation to inflation as the magma chamber recharges and repressurizes.
Analysis of inflationary tilt patterns prior to the onset of each fountaining episode allows a time window of high probability for the onset of new episodes to be estimated. These are calculated using both minimum inflation necessary to start a new eruption and the rate of inflation.
The current pause entered the time window that a new eruptive episode is likely to start on January 31. However, deflationary tilt excursions and low inflation rates have resulted in only minor net inflation since that time. Persistent glow has been present at the north vent the entire time, and intermittent spattering along with increased seismic tremor were observed throughout the night of February 2 and morning of February 3. The appearance of spatter indicates that magma continues to rise in the vent even though the inflation rate is very low. Under the current conditions, a new eruptive episode could begin at any time during the coming week.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency about eruptive hazards.
Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.
Hazards:
The eruption has been occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. High levels of volcanic gas -- water vapor (HO), carbon dioxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO) -- are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. As SO is continuously released from the summit during an eruption, it will react in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind of Kīlauea. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.
Pele's hair, which are strands of volcanic gas often produced by lava fountaining activity, can be carried by the wind. It can sometimes cluster and tangle together on the ground, giving it the appearance of a tumbleweed. The extent of Pele's hair is dependent on lava fountaining activity and current wind conditions. More information about how Pele's hair is formed is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-peles-hairs-a-beautiful-hazard-island-hawaii. A Frequently Asked Questions document developed for the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption includes information about potential health effects of Pele's hair and is available here: https://vog.ivhhn.org/sites/default/files/FAQ_on_air_quality_and_health_during_Mauna_Loa_eruption_v1.6.pdf
Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope, and during this eruption flows have been confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera. Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains that can fall on the ground within a few hundred yards (meters) of the eruptive vent(s), or on the western caldera rim downwind of the vent(s). Strong winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances downwind, and wind directions are variable. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation.
Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes within the area closed to the public. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea's caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.
For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards.