Volcano Activity Update: March 16, 2017

Thursday, March 9. ExtremeExposure photo.

During the past week, Kīlauea has continued to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone.

This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 16 to 75 feet below the vent rim.

The 61g flow was still active, with lava entering the ocean near Kamokuna and small surface breakout downslope of Puʻu ʻŌʻō on the pali and the coastal plain.

The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting.

GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone. No significant change in the summit fumarole temperature or gas output was noted this past week.

During the past week, small-magnitude earthquakes continued to occur beneath the volcano.

One earthquake was reportedly felt on the Island of Hawai’i during the past week.

On Tuesday, March 14, at 10:01 p.m. HST, a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred 7.5 miles south of Hawi at a depth of 15 miles.

This weekly activity update is written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.