More vigorous fountaining reported at Kīlauea

The eruption within the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island, which is confined to Halema‘uma‘u Crater and the downdropped block of the caldera inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, transitioned from low-level lava flows to more vigorous fountaining at about 6 p.m. Friday.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said a very weak effusion of lava began at about 8 a.m. Thursday, producing small flows near the vent along the southwest of Halema‘uma‘u, following a pause in fountaining Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

This marked the beginning of a third phase of the volcano’s newest ongoing summit eruption, which began during the early morning of Dec. 23.

Sluggish lava flows continued to erupt from the northern vents for the next day and a half.

Fountaining is now happening in bursts of up to 30 to 45 feet high from the two most northern vents. If fountaining continues, the heights could increase as more gas-rich lava erupts.

It is not possible to estimate how high fountains might get or how long fountaining will last, but prior episodes have produced fountains more than 200 feet high that lasted up to 24 hours.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue an eruption update this morning.

The observatory remains in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai‘i County Civil Defense.

You can watch a livestream of the Kīlauea summit on YouTube.