Kīlauea summit eruption now 10 days old as caldera lava fountains, flows continue

Visitors coming to view the 10-day-old eruption inside the volcano’s caldera at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park should expect a daytime traffic change and be aware that air quality could be bad this weekend.

Also be aware that air quality could become hazardous in the event of a change in wind direction and speed that could bring volcanic gas and other materials over and into viewing areas of the park.

Contractors began installing a new waterline for the park Friday, which requires the right lane at the park’s entrance to be temporarily closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily through at least Jan. 7 for the safety of work crews.

Because of the high volume of visitation, the park explained in a Facebook post Thursday that the outbound lane will be used as an entrance lane during the closure. Traffic leaving the park will detour through the park’s administrative area.

“Please drive safely and follow directions from traffic control workers and park rangers,” says the park’s post.

Stat up to date with park construction projects online.

The livestream of the eruption within Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea, shows fountaining and lava flows continue at a moderate level of activity from a vent on the southwest side of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within the national park.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports in its daily update that activity in the north vent ceased shortly after at 2 p.m. Thursday after parts of the cone collapsed into the lava fountain.

The remaining fountain was firing up to 60 to 100 feet high and feeding flows covering most of the crater floor to the downdrop block.

The area where the automatic laser rangefinder points on the crater floor fell by about 10 feet from 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday as a result of a lava dam breaking free in the north part of the lava lake.

Lava lake levels at the laser rangefinder location had recovered by about 3 feet as of about 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Current fountaining intensity is associated with deflation of the summit magma reservoir, which in earlier episodes of the eruption, which started in the early morning of Dec. 23, 2024, led to pauses in eruptive activity.

It is uncertain if these fountaining levels will be sustained.

Seismicity at the summit since Thursday has been low, with 4 small detected earthquakes and 1 in the upper East Rift Zone.

Seismic tremor remains increased during this period of lava fountaining.

Summit tiltmeters continue to record deflationary tilt that began just after midnight Dec. 29, 2024.

While several hazards exist, the eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, so high levels of volcanic gas are the primary hazard of concern.

Volcanic gas — primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide and especially sulfur dioxide — can have far-reaching effects downwind from Kīlauea’s summit. 

Sulfure dioxide emissions remain elevated at about 30,000 tonnes per day as measured Thursday, with a gas plume rising above the caldera this morning that was being carried to the southwest.

Sulfur dioxide, as it is continuously released during the eruption, reacts in the atmosphere to create volcanic smog, or the visible haze known as vog.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health showed moderate levels of sulfur dioxide for portions of the Ocean View, Kahaluʻu and Hōlualoa areas on the Big Island as of early Friday afternoon. Otherwise, the rest of the island’s air quality looked good.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park reported Friday afternoon in a Facebook post, however, that air quality this weekend in the park could be a concern.

There is a potential for the high levels of volcanic gas being discharged from the volcano and glassy fragments such as Pele’s hair to be carried over viewing overlooks and the visitor center with the possibility of winds becoming light and southerly.

Northeasterly trade winds typically push volcanic gas plumes away from those areas, but when winds shift to blow from the south and slow down, the park can experience poor air quality.

Volcanic gases are dangerous to everyone.

“People who have heart and respiratory conditions, pregnant women and children are especially sensitive to volcanic gas,” says the park’s post. “If you are in an area affected by volcanic gas, leave the area, especially if you are sensitive.

Park areas heavily inundated by volcanic gas could be temporarily closed for the public’s safety.

Visitors are encouraged to check the air quality before arriving and during their visit by visiting the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website air quality alert page.

This is the sixth eruption within the Kīlauea caldera since 2020, and like most others, it started with vigorous lava and volcanic gas emission. It has paused twice, and this is the third episode.

Eruptions in the summit region typically last about a week to more than a year.

No unusual activity has been noted along the East or Southwest Rift Zones.

Kīlauea’s volcano alert level remains at watch and its aviation color code at orange.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai‘i County Civil Defense.

See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information.

The national park reminds those who come to witness and view the volcano at work that they are experiencing more than just lava, gases and ash.

“They are connecting with a place that holds deep significance for generations of Native Hawaiians,” says another recent Facebook post from the park announcing a new wayside that offers insight into how an eruption is viewed from a Native Hawaiian perspective.

The new informational plaque overlooking the volcano’s summit caldera offers a better understanding of the cultural connection to eruptions and the volcano derived and interpreted from early Hawaiian chants.

The learn more, click here.