Kīlauea eruption daily update: Lava fountains continue and spatter ramparts nearly 66 feet in height

The ongoing eruption at Kīlauea summit within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park remains confined to the downdropped block and Halemaʻumaʻu crater.

This morning, active lava appears to be flowing only on the western part of the downdropped block and the northeastern parts of Halema‘uma‘u. The eastern boundary has been mostly covered by lava flows, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

A live-stream video of the eruption is available at https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Several roughly east-west oriented vents continue to erupt on the western side of the downdropped block within Kīlauea’s summit caldera and are generating lava flows onto Halema‘uma‘u crater floor. From the erupting vents, pāhoehoe lava flows continue to travel in north and west directions onto Halema‘uma‘u crater floor; however, the area of active lava has retreated even further towards the vents compared to days prior.

Lava fountain heights at the vents continue to reach up to about 32 feet, and the spatter ramparts that have accumulated on the south/downwind side of the vents approach 66 feet in height.

Effusion rates appear down from initial eruptive rates but remain high. The laser rangefinder is aimed at a western portion of Halema‘uma‘u, not near the new eruptive activity, and has recorded nearly 30 feet of uplift to this locality since the eruption started. According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, this demonstrates that a significant amount of lava is intruding beneath the pre-existing crust within Halema‘uma‘u.

Reports from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews indicate that fine particles of Pele’s Hair and other tephra are being deposited in the area near the Keanakāko‘i Overlook, which is approximately half a mile from the eruption site. As a result, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park closed the overlook area to the public at this time.

Summit tilt has remained deflationary, but the rate has decreased over the past 24 hours. Summit seismic activity is dominated by eruptive tremor (a signal associated with fluid movement) with very few volcano tectonic earthquakes. Volcanic gas emissions in the eruption area are elevated; a sulfur dioxide emission rate of 20,000 tonnes per day was measured Wednesday afternoon. This is down significantly from the 190,000 tonnes per day measured just after the onset of the eruption on Sunday.

Visible haze known as vog that has been observed downwind of Kīlauea. Vog creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock. For more information on gas hazards at the summit of Kīlauea, see https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173017. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org.

More eruption information is available at: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/recent-eruption.