Episode 8 erupts in Kīlauea caldera following 6-day pause in activity

This story was updated at 12:07 p.m. with updated information from the daily Kīlauea update from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island roared back into action the night of Feb. 3 after a 6-day pause in eruptive activity, with lava fountains reaching more than 250 feet high within the first hour of the newest eruptive activity inside Kaluapele, the volcano’s summit caldera.

Episode 8 of the ongoing eruption in the southwest portion of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater began at 9:52 p.m. Monday and continued to fountain Tuesday morning, albeit at somewhat slightly reduced heights from livestream images.

Lava also continued to flow onto the crater floor.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported at 11:19 a.m. Feb. 4 that vigorous fountains from the north and south vents were feeding lava flows onto the crater floor.

Lava fountains reached peak heights of up to 330 feet at the north vent during the initial hours of Episode 8. The north vent has been the most active since the erution began Dec. 23, 2024.

This new episode was preceded by small, sporadic spatter fountains that began the evening of Feb. 2.

Intensity of the spatter fountains increased Monday afternoon accompanied by an uptick in seismic tremor and a switch from inflation to deflation at the volcano’s summit. Sustained fountaining was underway by 9:52 p.m.

Fountains grew from about 50 feet to more than 250 feet high by 10:50 p.m., feeding multiple lava streams.

Estimated fountain heights of 130 to 160 feet at the north vent and 80 to 115 feet at the south vent were observed as of 9:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Active lava flows had covered about 15% to 20% of the crater floor by then, which is when Hawaiian Volcano Observatory issued its notification about the new eruptive episode’s beginning.

Lava flows had covered about half the crater floor as of almost noon Tuesday. 

Deflationary tilt at the summit continued as of almost 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Seismic tremor remained elevated.

The eruption is happening within a closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, so high levels of volcanic gas — primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide and especially sulfur dioxide — are the main hazard of concern, as they can have far-reaching effects downwind.

As sulfur dioxide is continuously released from the summit, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog, or volcanic smog, downwind from Kīlauea.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported sulfur dioxide emission rates were estimated Tuesday morning to be 10,000 tonnes per day or more. 

Additional hazards include Pele’s hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains that can fall downwind from the eruptive vents.

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

Each episode of lava fountaining throughout the volcano’s sixth summit eruption since 2020 has continued for at least 13 hours and up to 8 days. They have been separated by pauses lasting from less than 24 hours to 12 days.

No changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

This eruption is one-of-a-kind in recent years at the Kīlauea summit, marked by episodic fountaining not seen in any of the other Halemaʻumaʻu eruptions since 2020.

Each episode has been accompanied by strong deflation of the summit region, with pauses marked by an immediate change from deflation to inflation as the volcano’s magma chamber recharges and repressurizes.

The Uēkahuna tiltmeter had recorded by noon Tuesday nearly 8 microradians of deflationary tilt since the beginning of Episode 8.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea.