Hour-long Kīlauea eruption restarts within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

The hour-long eruption on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano on Sunday resumed at approximately 6 p.m., according to Hawai‘i Volcano Observatory.

The eruption is occurring within a closed and remote area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards remains at “watch” and the Aviation Color Code remains at ORANGE at this time.

The eruption does not currently pose an immediate threat to human life or infrastructure. Chain of Craters Road, which is closed, is located downslope and downwind of the erupting fissures. Residents of nearby subdivisions may experience volcanic gas emissions (see hazards section below) related to this activity, which may wax and wane over the coming days.

Current activity is restricted to Kīlaueaʻs middle East Rift Zone. Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the lower East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone remain low.

A magmatic intrusion has been ongoing in the area near Makaopuhi Crater on the middle East Rift Zone since Sept. 14. A very small eruption occurred west of Nāpau Crater Sunday night and has resumed this evening. The activity is visible in the PWcam: Live Panorama of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō West Flank from Pu‘u‘ō‘ō [PWcam].

HVO is continuing to closely monitor the middle East Rift Zone and in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. Temporary closures have been implemented as a result of this elevated activity; the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website here. 

Numerous eruptions took place in Kīlauea’s middle East Rift Zone during the 1960s–1970s. Most of these eruptions occurred between Hiʻiaka crater and Puʻuʻōʻō and lasted from less than one day to about two weeks, although there were long-lived eruptions at Maunaulu (1969–1971 and 1972–1974) and Puʻuʻōʻō (1983–2018). A map of past eruptive activity in the upper-to-middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea is available here.

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, click here.