Scientists continue to watch Kīlauea and its elevated unrest

Elevated seismic activity continues in an area south of Kīlauea’s summit caldera, however, the volcano is not erupting at this time.

According Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, steady rates of earthquakes have persisted in this area since Aug. 22, with no notable swarms in the past day. Most earthquakes have occurred at depths of 1–2 miles below the surface, with no upward migration detected.

No unusual activity has been noted along the volcano’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. No active lava has been observed since June 19. A live-stream video of the inactive western lava lake area is available at https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live.

Similar episodes of earthquake and ground deformation activity occurred in November 2020 and August 2021, prior to eruptions in December 2020 and September 2021. The activity is currently confined within Kīlauea’s summit region. If it continues, scientists say it could escalate to an eruption in the coming days, weeks or months.

The activity could also decrease due to intrusion of magma underground, or other changes, resulting in no eruption. Furthermore, levels of activity are expected to rise and fall during this period of unrest.

Summit tiltmeters have tracked slow inflation for the past two days, except for a brief period of minor deflation early this morning. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the summit remain low; the most recent SO2 emission rate of approximately 75 tonnes per day was measured on Aug. 24.

For information on Kīlauea hazards, see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards.

See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.