Update: Kīlauea eruption episode 36 already over, lasting less than five hours

Update Nov. 9, 5 p.m.: Episode 36 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption on Kīlauea ended abruptly at 4:16 p.m. on Sunday, after just under 5 hours of continuous fountaining.

The north vent stopped erupting at approximately 3:38 p.m. The south vent dropped from 1,000 to 500 feet around 3:48 p.m. It held stead for a little while before slowly declining and eventually stopping erupting at approximately 4:16 p.m.

Lava fountains reached a maximum of 1,000 to 1,100 feet during this episode. It produced an estimated 10 to 11 million cubic yards of lava.

The combined average eruption rate was over 650 cubic yards per second from the dual fountains, which is the highest effusion rate recorded during this eruption. Lava flows from the fountains covered about 60 to 80% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater on the Big Island.

Volcanic gas emissions have greatly decreased. Lava flows from this episode on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu within the southern part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) may continue to exhibit slow movement or incandescence as they cool and solidify over the coming days. 

Original post: Episode 36 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption on Kīlauea on the Big Island began at 11:15 a.m on Sunday and is currently fountaining from both the north and south vents.

Currently, lava fountains from the north vent are about 500 feet high. South vent fountains are about one third as high, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory,

The National Weather Service said winds are blowing from the northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the southwest of the summit of Kīlauea.

All eruptive activity now is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Commercial airports in Hawaii County will not be affected by this activity.

The ongoing eruption of Kīlauea began Dec. 23, 2024, with episodes usually lasting for around a day or less. They have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting generally at least several days. 

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

There are three Kīlauea summit livestream videos that show the lava fountains: V1cam, V2cam, V3cam. And KPcam and MKcam provide views of the plume height for aviation purposes

To see the timeline of eruptive episodes since Dec. 23, 2024, click here.