Hawai'i Volcano Blog

There seems to be enough evidence of some sort of collapse happening, which remains the only such event in the volcano’s documented history, simultaneously with a dramatic eruption that caused Hawai’i’s largest ever recorded earthquake, a magnitude-7.9 temblor that resulted in a tsunami and landslide in Ka’u that killed more than 100 people and lava flows that inundated 9 square miles.

The newest eruptive phase of the ongoing eruption inside Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park began just before 9:30 a.m. today (March 19), but the signature tall lava fountains the the active phases have become known for are expected later this afternoon.

It’s been 7 days, a whole week, since Episode 13 ended, which seems to be just the right amount of time lately for the Big Island volcano to recharge. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says new lava geysers could erupt in the vents within Halemaʻumaʻu Craterbefore as early as today.

By measuring the density of carbon dioxide trapped in bubbles formed in crystals as magma is under pressure underground, scientists can determine the depth at which the gas became trapped, and hence the depth of magma storage before eruption.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported geysers of molten rock ceased from north vent at 3:11 p.m. March 11 and then just 2 minutes later from south vent after just 12 hours and 37 minutes of eruptive activity in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater.

Several past eruptions were characterized by similar lava fountaining episodes, including at the start of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption in 1983, the start of the Maunaulu eruption in 1969 and the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption.

Fountains once again reached heights of 600 feet, which were sustained until the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater quit erupting at 8:26 p.m. March 4. Sustained fountains from the south vent saw heights of 200 to 400 feet throughout the night before decreasing. Just like the best season finale, however, the exciting, roaring eruptive event ended all too soon at 10:37 a.m. March 5, just less than 22 hours after it started.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports the most recent eruptive activity of the ongoing eruption in Kaluapele, the volcano’s summit caldera, started at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday with sporadic small lava flows alternating between the south and north vents in the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. A transition to fountaining began at 2 p.m.

People are urged to be aware of the conditions around them and how they could react to vog. They are also encouraged to access air quality data on the the state Health Department Clean Air Branch website and Hawai‘i Interagency Vog Information Dashboard for the most up-to-date information about vog.

It was a dark and stormy night when the eruption near Nāpau Crater on Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone began Sept. 15, 2024. So much so that Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webcams were no help in detecting if there was an eruption or not. But you know who could? Residents of Volcano, who could smell sulfurous and burning odors.

Despite their outward differences, the fundamental engines that power volcanism in both regions are quite similar. There’s a lot of aloha in southern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming.

Lava fountains reached as high as 600 feet for part of the most recent eruptive activity of the ongoing summit eruption of the Big Island volcano, with lava covering between 75% and 80% of the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor.

Newest eruptive activity of ongoing eruption of Big Island volcano began just before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, with lava fountaining to more than 200 feet about 30 minutes later.

Captivating lava fountains burst from either one or both of the vents during each eruptive episode. However, as fascinating as those episodes are, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are equally as interested in what’s happening beneath the surface between episodes.

The latest eruptive activity started at 8:22 p.m. Feb. 19 and ended at 9:18 a.m. Feb. 20. Lava flows from this episode covered 73% of the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor in the southern part of Kaluapele, the volcano’s caldera.

Episode 10 of the summit caldera eruption that started in December 2024 began at 8:22 p.m. Feb. 19. The eruptive activity continues this morning, but already at a lower rate as seen in the livestream of the summit.

Closure is necessary for renovations and rehabilitation at the center, which will include installing new exhibits, relocating and rebuilding restrooms and replacing the lānai with an expanded covered pavilion. The project is expected to take up to 18 months to 2 years to complete.

Calculating the location and magnitude of an earthquake requires analyzing aspects of data from several seismic stations around the island, such as the maximum amplitudes and arrival times of different seismic waves.

Episode 9 of the Big Island volcano’s ongoing summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater began at 10:16 a.m. Tuesday. Lava flowing into the crater from the north vent covered about a quarter of the crater floor by 10:45 a.m. Slow effusion of lava also started at about 10:50 a.m. from the south vent.

Volcano scientists from around the world will gather from Feb. 9-14 in Hilo for the American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference on Caldera-forming Eruptions at Basaltic Volcanoes: Insights and Puzzles from Kīlauea 2018 and Beyond.