Update: Kīlauea eruption appears to be paused

Update at 5:57 p.m. Dec. 23: Just as suddenly as it started, the new summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island slowed significantly between 3 and 4 p.m. today and appears to be paused.

The eruption in Halema’uma’u Crater within Kaluapele, the Kīlauea summit caldera, began at 2:20 a.m. today and continued through most of the day within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that at about 3 p.m. today, tilt at the summit stopped showing deflation and seismic tremor began decreasing. By 3:30 p.m., lava fountains were barely visible, and by 4 p.m. fountaining had stopped and seismic tremor was close to background levels.

Visible volcanic gas emissions also decreased significantly.

Kīlauea’s Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at Watch/Orange. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and there is no threat to human life or infrastructure.

No changes have been detected in the volcano’s East or Southwest Rift Zones.

Webcam imagery and field crew observations showed new lava that fountained from vents in the southwest portion of the caldera covered about 650 acres, including all of Halema’uma’u and most of the adjacent downdropped block.

Initial fountain heights were estimated to be about 260 to 300 feet, which had decreased to about 55 yards by 1 p.m.

The area covered by lava so far is a little more than 1 square mile and represents about one-quarter of the area of Kaluapele.

The lava is estimated to be about 1 yard thick, giving an estimated average effusion rate of 110 cubic yards per second for the first 8 hours of the eruption.

Vigorous fountaining produced a plume of volcanic gas and particles that was transported downwind, southwest over a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Conditions prevented measuring sulfur dioxide emission rates by normal methods, but nearby monitoring stations estimated more than 100,000 tonnes of SO2 per day at about 8 a.m., which decreased by half in the early afternoon.

These estimates are similar to values measured in the early stages of previous summit eruptions during the past 4 years.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue an eruption update tomorrow morning unless there are significant changes overnight.

The observatory also remains in close contact with the national park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense.

Visit the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information.

You can also watch the Kīlauea summit livestream here.

Update 8:30 a.m. Dec. 23: As of 6:30 a.m., the eruption has stabilized within the crater and there are no immediate threats to infrastructure.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is lowering Kīlauea’s volcano alert level from warning to watch and its aviation color code from red to orange.

National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu also report that the threat of falling volcanic ash has decreased across populated areas of the Big Island and is confined only to the immediate vicinity of the eruption at the summit.

For health and safety recommendations, visit the Hawai‘i Interagency Vog Information Dashboard.

Original story: Kīlauea volcano began erupting at about 2:30 a.m. Monday within Halemaʻumaʻu and the summit caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory announced.

There has been elevated earthquake activity beneath the summit a half hour before the eruption.

The observatory elevated Kīlauea’s volcano alert level from Advisory to Warning and its aviation color code from Yellow to Red as this eruption and associated hazards are evaluated.  But at this time, no homes are in danger.

The opening phases of eruptions are dynamic. Webcam imagery shows a line of fissures erupting lava fountains feeding lava flows at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu within Kaluapele (the summit caldera).

The activity is confined to the summit caldera and the hazards will be reassessed as the eruption progresses.

Currently, satellite imagery and radar wind data indicate that east-northeast winds aloft will carry volcanic ash downstream into the Kaʻu District of the Big Island, with “very light” volcanic ashfall possible until about 6 p.m. Monday in communities that include Pahala, Wood Valley, Nāʻālehu and Ocean View, according to the National Weather Service.

Repeated eruptions will lead to a heavier buildup of ash. Any ash deposited on the ground will likely be picked up by local winds, contributing to dusty conditions.

Avoid excessive exposure to ash which is an eye and respiratory irritant. Those with respiratory sensitivities should take extra precaution to minimize exposure.

For health and safety recommendations, visit the Hawaii Interagency Vog Information Dashboard at https://vog.ivhhn.org.

The last time Kīlauea erupted was in September.

The observatory will continue to monitor this activity closely and report any significant changes in future notices.

It also is in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. See the Hawaiʻi  Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm. 

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes