No notable earthquake swarms recorded in past day at Kīlauea; signs of unrest persist

No notable earthquake swarms were recorded during the past day in the Kīlauea summit caldera region, but signs of elevated unrest persist at the Big Island volcano.

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s 8:59 a.m. Kīlauea update Thursday, increased seismic activity continues in an area south of the caldera. While the volcano is not erupting, steady rates of quakes have persisted in that area since Aug. 22, most of which have been at depths of 1 to 2 miles below the surface with no upward migration.

Recent tiltmeter measurements suggest the area is inflating, independent of the usual deformation source inside the caldera, and GPS measurements from the past several days supports that assessment. Within the caldera, there has been intermittent deflation since early Wednesday morning.

Kīlauea’s summit region, and specifically the area south of the caldera, is becoming increasingly pressurized. Similar episodes happened prior to intra-caldera eruptions in December 2020 and September 2021.

The heightened activity is confined within the summit region and — if it continues — could escalate to an eruption in the coming days, weeks or months. The activity could also decrease because of 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.

No active lava lake has been seen since June 19 in Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Click here for a live feed of the inactive western lava lake area.

Kīlauea’s volcano alert level remains at advisory.

No unusual activity has been noted along the volcano’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. Steady rates of ground deformation and seismicity continue along both.

Sulfur dioxide emissions from the summit remain low. The most recent emission rate of about 75 tonnes per day was measured Aug. 24.

For information about Kīlauea hazards, click here.

Visit the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea volcano. Questions can be directed to askHVO@usgs.gov.