Towering lava fountains observed in Episode 25 of Kīlauea eruption at Halemaʻumaʻu

Update:

Episode 25 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended at 8:08 p.m. HST on June 11, 2025, after about 8 hours of continuous fountaining. Continuous eruptive activity at the north vent started at 11:57 p.m. HST on Wednesday and stopped at approximately 7:36 p.m. HST. The south vent started erupting at approximately 1:30 p.m. HST and stopped at approximately 8:08 p.m. HST.

In total, the two vents erupted for just over 8 hours today, June 11. Lava fountains from the north vent reached over 1,000 ft during this episode. Lava flows from this episode on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu within the southern part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) may continue to exhibit slow movement or incandescence as they cool and solidify over the coming days. 

Previous post:

Episode 25 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at Kīlauea began at 11:57 a.m. HST on June 11, 2025, and the volume and vigor of lava fountains and flows has increased markedly as of 12:30 p.m. Lava from the north vent had reached heights of approximately 330 feet.

Episode 25 was preceded by intermittent gas-pistoning in the north vent, with associated small spatter fountains and lava flows which began before dawn on June 10, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

“This activity, which occurred at a rate of about 5-10 gas piston events per hour, continued to increase in intensity until 11:57 a.m. on June 11, when a small sustained dome fountain began to feed lava flows onto the crater floor. As of 12:30 p.m. HST, fountains from the north vent are reaching about 165 feet high and feeding multiple lava streams. Fountains heights are likely to increase in the coming hours,” the HVO reports.

According to the HVO, inflationary tilt reached just over 15 microradians since the end of the last episode. Seismic tremor began increasing and tilt at UWD switched from inflation to deflation at about 12 p.m. HST, about the same time lava flows began erupting onto the crater floor, the HVO reports.

Most episodes of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since Dec. 23, 2024, have continued for around a day or less and have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting generally at least several days. 

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