Hawai‘i Volcano Activity Update: Mar. 29, 2018

Visitors enjoy a view the summit eruption from Kīlauea Volcano’s Halema‘uma‘u Crater from a new vantage point just south of Jaggar Museum. The viewing area was funded by entrance fee revenue, and enhances visitor experience at the park’s most popular destination. PC: NPS/Janice Wei.

This past week, Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake level fluctuated with summit inflation and deflation, ranging about 75 to 115 feet below the vent rim. On the East Rift Zone, the 61g lava flow remained active with breakouts on the upper part of the flow field within 1.6 miles of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. There were no active lava flows on the pali, coastal plain, or entering the ocean. The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Rates of deformation and seismicity have not changed significantly over the past week, but persist above long-term background levels. Only a few small-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath the volcano, primarily at depths shallower than eight miles. GPS and InSAR measurements continue to show slow deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone. No significant changes in volcanic gas release or fumarole temperature were measured.

One earthquake with three or more felt reports occurred in Hawai‘i this past week. On Mar. 24, at 12:32 a.m. HST, a magnitude-2.5 earthquake occurred two miles southwest of Volcano.

Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more.

The “Hawai‘i 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 askHVO@usgs.gov.