Signs of Kīlauea’s next episodic eruption have begun
This activity comes after Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park announced that some areas have reopened after they were closed due to damage following Hurricane Lala on Aug. 15.
Signs of another episodic eruption at Kīlauea have begun just two weeks after the volcano erupted for nearly 10 hours, producing lava fountains reaching heights of 500 feet.
Precursory low-level eruptive activity before episode 54 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park began around 6:16 a.m. on Aug. 25, with overflows from the north vent that are continuing at this time, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
With the heightened activity, the Alert Level for Kīlauea was raised from ADVISORY to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE.
This morning’s activity was preceded by the onset of weak spattering from the north vent around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 24. Spattering and glow were visible from the vents on the U.S. Geological Survey live cam in the early morning hours.
This was marked by the onset of strong, rhythmic gas pistoning spikes in tremor recorded every 5-10 minutes.
This activity comes after Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park announced that some areas have reopened after they were closed due to damage following Hurricane Lala on Aug. 15. Areas reopened as of Aug. 24 included Crater Rim Drive West from the park entrance to Uēkahuna, along with the Welcome Center and Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association store, according to a news release from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
Popular overlooks like Kīlauea Overlook and Kūkamāhuākea (Steam Vents) are also open.
Kīlauea last erupted on Aug. 12 at around 3:45 p.m. and ended abruptly early the next morning at 1:23 a.m.
Kīlauea has been erupting periodically since Dec. 23, 2024. The episodes, confined to the Halema‘uma‘u crater, typically last several hours and abruptly end.
