Kīlauea Episode 24 expected to begin today or tomorrow

Vigorous degassing of sulfur dioxide, nighttime glow and intermittent lava spattering in the north vent indicate that magma is close to the surface of Kīlauea, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Episode 24 of the ongoing eruption within the Big Island volcanoʻs Halemaʻumaʻu crater is likely to begin today or tomorrow.

In recent episodes of the ongoing eruption, which began Dec. 23, low-level precursory activity has lasted from a few hours to a few days.

This activity can include spatter from north and/or south vents, small dome fountains, and lava overflowing from one or both vents. At the start of previous episodes, precursory activity has rapidly escalated into sustained high fountaining over minutes to tens of minutes.

The tiltmeter at Uēkahuna has recorded just over 12 microradians of inflationary tilt since the end of the last episode, with low level seismic tremor continuing beneath Halemaʻumaʻu crater. 

Most episodes of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining during the ongoing eruption have continued for around a day or less and have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting generally at least several days. 

• Timeline of eruptive episodes since Dec. 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams 

No changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. A VAN/VONA will be issued when sustained lava fountaining begins, marking the start of episode 24, or earlier if the situation warrants a further update.

Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at Watch/Orange. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

More Information:

• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm
• Kīlauea activity summary also available by phone: 808-967-8862
• Kīlauea webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
• Kīlauea photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/photo-and-video-chronology
• Kīlauea lava-flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
• Kīlauea FAQs: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/faqs
• Kīlauea hazards discussion: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards