Kīlauea Volcano Activity Update: Jan. 1–7

Puʻu ʻŌʻō file photo. Courtesy photo.

Kīlauea on Hawai‘i Island continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. During the first week of the year, the summit lava lake level varied between about 28 and 35 m (95–115 feet) below the vent rim within Halema‘uma‘u Crater.

On the East Rift Zone, scattered lava flow activity remained within about 6 km (4 miles) of Puʻu ʻŌʻō and is not currently threatening any nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Seismicity remains elevated above long-term background levels. GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of magma reservoirs beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa.

Two earthquakes were reported to be felt on the Island of Hawai‘i this past week.

On Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015, at 4:06 p.m., HST, a magnitude 2.6 earthquake occurred 4.7 km (2.9 miles) southwest of Kea‘au at a depth of 16.4 km (10.2 miles).

On Friday, Jan.1, 2016, at 9:38 a.m., HST, a magnitude-2.8 earthquake occurred 16.2 km (10.1 miles) southeast of Waimea at a depth of 15.5 km (9.6 miles).

Visit the HVO website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa weekly updates, volcano photos, recent earthquakes information and more

Call (808) 967-8862 for Kīlauea  ummary updates or (808) 967-8866 for Mauna Loa updates.

Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

Volcano Watch is a weekly article and activity update written by scientists at the US Geological Survey`s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.