Hawai‘i Volcano Activity Update: Nov. 9, 2017

View looking southeast along the long axis of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea’s summit. The lava lake is about 260 m (285 yd) long and 200 m (220 yd) wide. HVO/USGS image, March 31, 2017.

This past week, Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake level fluctuated with summit inflation and deflation, ranging between 92 and 112 feet below the vent rim. On the East Rift Zone, the 61g flow remained active, with lava reaching the Kamokuna delta and surface breakouts downslope of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The 61g flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Small-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath the summit caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone, mostly at depths less than three miles. GPS and satellite radar measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone. No significant changes in volcanic gas emissions were measured.

No earthquakes were reported felt on the Island of Hawaiʻi during the past week.

Please visit the HVO website for past Volcano Watch articles, volcano updates and photos, recent earthquake info, and more.

The “Hawai‘i Volcano Activity Update” is a weekly article written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates.

Call for summary updates at (808) 967-8862 (Kīlauea) or (808) 967-8866 (Mauna Loa); email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.