Signs of unrest in summit area of Big Island’s Kīlauea volcano continue, but ground deformation has leveled off

Pele continues to rustle in her slumber with signs of unrest in the area just south of Kīlauea volcano’s summit on the Big Island; however, ground deformation in the area has leveled off.

The change in deformation happened about 2 a.m. Saturday. There have been no appreciable changes in the tilt since and inflation at the summit remains close to its highest level in more than 5 years, returning to nearly the level seen just before the last summit eruption Sept. 10.

No unusual activity has been noted along the volcano’s East or Southwest rift zones.

Seismicity beneath the summit region, which began Oct. 4, also decreased with the change in deformation early Saturday morning and remained low as of about 9 a.m. Saturday.

During the past day, about 170 earthquakes were recorded in the summit region compared to about 320 earthquakes the day before. Most of the quakes from the swarm south of the caldera are at depths of close to 1.5 to 2 miles below the surface.

The trend of the seismic activity parallels, but is slightly south of the December 1974 eruption vents.

Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain low and were measured at a rate of about 100 tonnes per day on Oct. 6.

For discussion about Kīlauea hazards, click here. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor information can be found here.

A live webcam at Halemaʻumaʻu crater can also be viewed on YouTube.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea volcano.