Episode 47 at Kīlauea marked by 9 hours of lava fountaining and 20,000 foot ash plume

Update:

Episode 47 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at the summit of Kīlauea ended abruptly at 12:27 a.m. HST on May 15. The eruption is currently paused.

Lava fountaining episode 47 in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at 3:27 p.m. HST on May 14 and stopped abruptly at 12:27 a.m. HST on May 15, after 9 hours of continuous fountaining from the north vent.

The last minute was marked by strong gas jetting and large flames from both eruptive vents that continued after the eruption ended.

The south vent never fountained during this episode, but it periodically spattered in the early hours of north vent activity, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. 

The north vent lava fountain produced significant heat and ash, feeding a plume that reached a maximum height of about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) above sea level based on radar data reported by the National Weather Service and Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center. 

The HVO reports: The instantaneous effusion rate peaked somewhere between 360 and 390 cubic yards per second around 5 p.m. HST, with an average effusion rate of 270 cubic yards per second for the entire fountaining episode. An estimated 6.8 million cubic yards of lava erupted and covered about 30-40% of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor. The Uēkahuna tiltmeter recorded about 15.6 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 47.

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Episode 47 of the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea summit began Thursday afternoon with lava fountaining from the north vent in Halema’uma’u crater, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The eruption began at approximately 3:33 p.m., with low-level fountaining observed shortly afterward, officials said. Activity remains confined to Halema’uma’u crater within Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the north vent is currently the primary source of fountaining, while the south vent continues intermittent overflows.

Trade winds blowing from the northeast are expected to carry volcanic gas emissions, fine ash, and Pele’s hair toward areas southwest of the summit, including portions of Ka’ū. Residents in downwind communities may experience elevated gas levels and falling volcanic material and are advised to reduce exposure and take proper precautions.

Officials added that tephra, including volcanic ash, is most heavily concentrated within three miles of the eruptic vents, although lighter ash asn Pele’s hair may travel greater distances.

There are currently no reported road closures.

Kīlauea remains at Volcano Alert Level Watch and Aviation Color Code Orange. Lava flows generated during the eruption remain within Halema’uma’u crater in the south portion of Kaluapele, Kīlauea’s summit caldera.

Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams
Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams

Learn more about gas pistons in a Volcano Watch article here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-so-what-earth-or-least-kilauea-a-gas-piston