Hawai'i Volcano Blog

These past eruptions outside Halemaʻumaʻu are evidence that such eruptions could also occur in the future; and while there have been ongoing earthquakes beneath Kīlauea’s summit, they are not indicative of an imminent eruption along the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu.

Conditions in and around the closed area at the summit of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park can evolve quickly, and elevate the risk of rockfalls, ground cracking and other potentially life‑threatening hazards.

U.S. Geological Survey is dropping the Volcano Alert Level from WATCH to ADVISORY.

Most of Nāhuku Lava Tube will remain open during construction; entrance and exit will move to the east end only until the project is completed by the end of June.

On Tuesday afternoon, shallow earthquakes are being detected beneath the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, as well as localized ground deformation in the south caldera region of Kīlauea summit.

Comparing different eruptions can be a bit like comparing apples to oranges. But no matter how you compare, the ongoing eruption made an impression in terms of its longevity, with two active vents and impacts to areas downwind, including the changing topography of the summit.

The outage started about 1:45 p.m. Saturday, April 11; despite the partial outage, remaining data coming into the observatory are sufficient to allow the observatory’s researchers to detect major changes at Hawaiian volcanoes.

A look further back in the geologic record reveals that several lava fountaining eruptions similar to the ongoing one in Halemaʻumaʻu occurred within Kīlauea caldera within the past 500 years.

Fountaining episodes typically last less than 12 hours, but ash can remain in the air longer depending on wind and weather conditions.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the temblor struck about 2 miles east-northeast of Pāhala in Kaʻū on the south-southeast side of the island at a depth of just 2 miles; it had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea volcanoes.

With weather forecasts calling for a shift of winds coming from the south, visitors should be prepared for tephra, volcanic gas and potential temporary closures with upcoming Episode 44 of ongoing episodic eruption at Big Island volcano’s summit.

These updates will more clearly distinguish hazards during eruptive pauses and lava fountaining episodes.

Forecasters say if lava fountaining happens, varying levels of ash, Pele’s hair and other lightweight tephra could fall downwind of the summit. Smaller particles can travel farther from the summit and could affect communities at greater distances.

A fountaining eruption at Kīlauea’s caldera is projected between April 6 to April 14, potentially impacting residents and visitors with ash and tephra.

After Episode 44 ends, assuming activity is similar to the first 43 episodes, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will lower alert level and aviation color code for Kīlauea one level lower than the current norm, to Advisory and Yellow, respectively.

Management of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park requires the use of aircraft to maintain park facilities and other operations; dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather.

Geochemical analysis of erupted tephra samples during the past decade help scientists understand the temperature of Kīlauea’s shallow magma system under the summit — and things have been “heating up!”

The forecast window for episode 44 of the Halemaʻumaʻu eruption is between April 3 and 13.

Living in such a dynamic place as Hawaiʻi Island, it’s important to try to be aware and prepared for natural events that affect us; nature will continue to reshape the land in Hawaiʻi, and the recent Episode 43 lava fountaining fallout and kona low are recent reminders about how impactful such natural events can be.

As future eruptive episodes approach, monitor the weather forecast and follow guidance from Hawai‘i County Civil Defense so you can prepare for these events if you live in an area that could experience tephra fallout.