#Kilauea volcano

The family holiday celebration became an unexpected wildlife rescue when Hawaiʻi Technology Academy student and Kauaʻi Sailing Association member Xavier Prentice bravely swam out and retrieved the struggling juvenile koaʻe kea, inspiring his community to better protect native Hawaiian birds.

Comparing different eruptions can be a bit like comparing apples to oranges. But no matter how you compare, the ongoing eruption made an impression in terms of its longevity, with two active vents and impacts to areas downwind, including the changing topography of the summit.

Captivating performances from kāne celebrate 50 years of history at the Merrie Monarch Hoʻike.

Hawai’i airports brace for an influx of interisland passengers traveling to Hilo for the 63rd annual Merrie Monarch Festival, ongoing until April 11.

With weather forecasts calling for a shift of winds coming from the south, visitors should be prepared for tephra, volcanic gas and potential temporary closures with upcoming Episode 44 of ongoing episodic eruption at Big Island volcano’s summit.

These updates will more clearly distinguish hazards during eruptive pauses and lava fountaining episodes.

After Episode 44 ends, assuming activity is similar to the first 43 episodes, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will lower alert level and aviation color code for Kīlauea one level lower than the current norm, to Advisory and Yellow, respectively.

As future eruptive episodes approach, monitor the weather forecast and follow guidance from Hawai‘i County Civil Defense so you can prepare for these events if you live in an area that could experience tephra fallout.

Volcanic material as large as 6 inches was reported at Volcano Golf Course on Tuesday (March 10), with the village experiencing significant fallout; falling tephra caused closures of a portion of Highway 11, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, swimming pools and at least one school, emergency shelter opening and new summit webcam getting ‘clobbered.’

Residents can visit the tephra information center to learn how to clean tephra from their homes, protect water catchment tanks and make requests for assistance.

An estimated 15 million cubic yards of lava erupted and covered about 50% of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor.

The cleaning project, which begins Monday (Feb. 16) is expected to last about 2 weeks, barring any unforeseen circumstances; the facility has been closed since Jan. 24 when volcanic ash and glass strands of Pele’s hair began falling into the pool during Episode 41 of lava fountaining from the ongoing episodic summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano.

Like the “Did You Feel It?” earthquake reporting tool helps make maps of areas affected by shaking, the new tool helps scientists map areas affected by tephra fallout; observations will be used to assess the character and size of the eruption plumes from Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island, along with the dispersal pattern of tephra fall.

It is yet to be determined if temblor swarms following Episode 40 of the Big Island volcano’s ongoing episodic eruption that began Dec. 23, 2024, will impact lava fountaining activity at the surface.

Visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, where the volcano is located, see remarkable views during the episodic eruptions within the summit, but the latest episode — No. 38 — reminds us how quickly hazards associated with this dynamic activity can change.

The tremor followed the end of episode 37 lava fountaining on Kīlauea by 10 minutes, but does not appear directly related to the eruption, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Fountaining episodes during the past month and a half broke several records for this eruption, including the highest lava fountains, the most volume of lava erupted and the highest rate of lava effusion for this event, which has now lasted more than 10 months.

“These would be the highest single fountain and highest pair of fountains seen during this eruption,” said Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in a status update for the Big Island volcano at 10:05 p.m. Friday.

Latest eruptive activity of the ongoing episodic eruption of the Big Island volcano began at just after 8 p.m. with sustained molten rock geysers already at 500 feet high from the north vent and rapidly increasing in height.

The latest eruptive activity kicked off at 12:53 a.m. Oct. 1 from the north vent in the southwest portion of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, with molten rock fountaining from the south vent as well within the next several hours.