Hawai'i Volcano Blog

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports “all observable and instrumental signs of potential for renewed eruptive activity have declined”; only a couple of intermittent small spots of residual glow could be detected on the flow field Sunday night and weak degassing continues.

Eruption that started Sunday night now paused after covering more than 156 acres of Nāpau Crater and areas to the west.

This eruption signals a significant and fascinating change in activity at Kīlauea.

The middle East Rift Zone eruption significantly increased in volume on the afternoon of Sept. 18.

Now in its fourth phase of vent opening and lava production, the current phase is the eruption’s largest to date. Fountaining remained strong at the new vent site as of just before 10:30 a.m. today as observed on the S2 webcam.

The eruption of Kīlauea near Nāpau Crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park continues, with lava currently cascading into Nāpau Crater on the northwest rim, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Webcam and GOES satellite thermal imagery show that eruptive activity within Nāpau Crater, which had been waning throughout the day, has likely ceased while eruptive […]

The eruption at Nāpau Crater continues and serious hazards still exist.

The current lava flow at the middle of the eastern rift zone could create hazards for visitors such as cracks and toxic fumes.

But there are still a few ways to see the eruption for yourself, including a new webcam that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory installed that provides a live view of Nāpau Crater, looking southwest and updated every 15 minutes.

The eruption is located on a remote section of the middle East Rift Zone in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The eruption does not currently pose an immediate threat to human life or infrastructure.

According to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the brief eruption occurred near the National Park Nāpau campsite (east of Kānenuiohamo and Makaopuhi Crater and west of Nāpau Crater) on the middle East Rift Zone between 9 and 10 p.m.

While seismic activity has decreased under the Big Island volcano since a dramatic spike Saturday evening, more than 340 shallow earthquakes detected in the vicinity of the intrusion during the past day and continuing ground deformation shows magma is still moving beneath the ground from the volcano’s summit storage chambers to the area between Maunaulu and  Makaopuhi Crater.

An intrusion is an injection of magma into rock, that causes ground deformation and seismicity but does not result in an eruption.

The images taken over a century ago helped document the activity people were viewing in that era. Today, technology allows us to monitor beyond the capabilities of the human eye.

While Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have worked well together responding to volcanic unrest and eruptions for decades, the new interagency plan puts their practices down on paper.

Tremor is characterized by slowly emerging seismic waves that can last for minutes to many days when there are ongoing eruptions. It is important to identify tremor because this signal can be associated with fluid movement, which can sometimes indicate an increased chance of eruption.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park made the decision after another heightened period of unrest began earlier this week as earthquake activity increased in the upper East Rift Zone, which continued into this morning, albeit at a much lesser rate.

The unrest could represent another pulse of magma being supplied to the upper East Rift Zone following the intrusive event July 22-25 near Pauahi Crater.

The Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) is celebrating its 30th anniversary of growing the next generation of aloha ʻāina leaders in Hawai‘i and the Pacific through transformative place-based internships, mentorship, innovative programming, and strategic partnerships.