Volcano Activity Update: April 20, 2017

The ocean entry at Kamokuna remains active, with a small lava delta. Views of the lava streams entering the water were obscured by the thick plume. Very weak littoral explosions were occurring. USGS HVO photo, April 10, 2017.

This past week, Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake continued to rise and fall in concert with summit inflation and deflation.

On the East Rift Zone, the 61g flow was still active, with lava entering the ocean near Kamokuna and surface breakouts downslope of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

These flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting.

GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone.

No significant changes in volcanic gas emissions were measured.

During the past week, small-magnitude earthquakes were recorded primarily beneath the upper west flank of the volcano, with most at depths of 3 to 8 miles.

One earthquake was reported felt on the Island of Hawaiʻi in the past week. On April 14, at 12:16 a.m. HST, a magnitude-2.8 earthquake occurred 3.3 miles southeast of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit at a 1.7 mile depth.

The Volcano Activity Update is a weekly article written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

Call for summary updates at (808) 967-8862 (Kīlauea) or (808) 967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to [email protected].