Sluggish but steady: Episode 14 of Kīlauea summit eruption off to slow start

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimates were spot on.

Episode 14 of the ongoing eruption inside Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island started — albeit sluggishly — just before 9:30 a.m. today (March 19) with continuous lava effusion from the north vent in the southwest portion of the crater.

A small degassed lava flow also began at 9:50 a.m. from the south vent.

Observatory scientists said Tuesday that the next phase of eruptive activity could begin anytime between today and Friday based on inflationary trends at the summit as the magma chamber recharged following the end of Episode 13 last week.

However, the signature tall fountains the past several episodes have become known for hadn’t yet made an appearance as lava inside the north vent churned early this afternoon within Kaluapele, the volcano’s summit caldera within Hawai‘i Volcanoe’s National Park.

Occasional spatter bursts in both cones slowly waned throughout the morning after 7 a.m., but activity picked back up at about 9:20 a.m. in both just prior to the start of continuous flows.

The south vent flows shut off, however, at about 10:35 a.m.

Dome fountaining was happening intermittently in the north vent — with drainbacks about every 5 to 10 minutes, with maximum heights of 30 feet within a 200-by-150-foot lava pond that dropped about 5 to 10 feet during each drainback — as gas rich magma started to mix with degassing magma, but the interval has decreased.

The observatory said in its daily activity update at 11:20 a.m. that high fountains should begin sometime within the next several hours as denser, degassed lava is erupted from the vent.

The livestream of the crater at about 12:45 p.m., when the rain and clouds cleared out, showed a slower-moving lava spilling over the edge of the north vent while spattering bubbled and boiled inside, sometimes making a quick appearance over the top edge of the cone as volcanic gas billowed forth from the volcano.

Seven small, short-lived lava flows that overflowed the south vent preceded the onset of Episode 14 — each lasting about 10 minutes at most — from about midnight to 6 a.m. today.

None of those precursory flows went more than about 50 feet from the vent.

Occasional spatter bursts could be seen in the north vent on the V1 webcam throughout the night and became more frequent in the early morning hours. Spattering also could be seen in the south vent at times.

All of the activity indicated magma was very near the surface in the early morning hours.

Summit inflationary tilt plateaued during the past 24 hours.

The Uēkahuna bluff tiltmeter located in the summit region recorded just greater than 11 microradians of inflation since the end of Episode 13 on March 11. Seismic tremor decreased significantly at the end of the previous eruptive phase, but remains above background levels.

A sulfur dioxide emission rate of 1,200 tonnes per day was measured Tuesday, which is typical during eruption pauses.

However, as the Episode 14 continues and increases in intensity, this hazard is expected to increase dramatically, which will likely lead to more vog, or volcanic smog, that can and will be blown great distances away from the summit.

Production of tephra from fountaining activity such as pumice and Pele’s hair also can be transported miles downwind from the vents depending on wind conditions.

The ongoing summit eruption inside Halemaʻumaʻu started Dec. 23, 2024. Each eruptive episode has lasted from about 13 hours to 8 and a half days. They have been separated by pauses from less than 24 hours as many as 12 days.

Fountaining episodes have been accompanied by strong deflation of the summit region, with the beginning of a pause marked by an immediate change from deflation to inflation as the magma chamber recharges and repressurizes.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea. The observatory is in constant contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai‘i County Civil Defense about eruptive hazards.

Visit the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information.

You can keep up with the eruption in real time by visiting the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website or subscribing to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano Notification Service.