Unrest continues in south summit area of Kīlauea

Unrest in the south summit area of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island continues; however, no eruption is imminent.

According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s daily Kīlauea update shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday, inflation at the summit remains high, returning to nearly the level seen just prior to the last summit eruption that began Sept. 10 and lasted less than a week.

An eruption in the region from Halemaʻumaʻu crater south to the December 1974 vents could emerge with little notice.

The Uēkahuna summit tiltmeter north of the volcano’s caldera recorded very slight inflation during the past 24 hours, whereas the Sand Hill tiltmeter just south of the caldera is showing continued inflation. GPS units within the south end of the caldera and farther south also show continued uplift of this region.

Elevated seismicity also continues beneath the south end of Kīlauea caldera, extending to the southwest along the trend of December 1974 vents.

About 70 earthquakes were recorded during the past 24 hours in the summit region, most at depths of about 0.6 to 3 miles below the surface. That’s slightly lower than the more than 130 quakes recorded during the previous 24-hour period.

Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain low, measured at a rate of about 100 tonnes per day as of Oct. 6.

No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East or Southwest rift zones.

For information about Kīlauea hazards, click here. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor information can be found here.

A live webcam at Halemaʻumaʻu crater can also be viewed on YouTube.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea.