Live Stream: Kīlauea volcano is erupting

Update:

As of 6:30 a.m. HST, the eruption has stabilized within the crater and there are no immediate threats to infrastructure. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is lowering Kīlauea’s volcano alert level from WARNING to WATCH.

Previous post:

Kīlauea volcano is erupting. Elevated earthquake activity beneath the summit began at approximately 2 a.m. HST this morning, Dec. 23. By 2:30 a.m., the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory observed eruptive activity in Kīlauea summit webcam images, indicating that an eruption has commenced within Halemaʻumaʻu and the summit caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is elevating Kīlauea’s volcano alert level from ADVISORY to WARNING and its aviation color code from YELLOW to RED as this eruption and associated hazards are evaluated.  

The opening phases of eruptions are dynamic. Webcam imagery shows a line of fissures erupting with lava fountains feeding flows at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu within Kaluapele (the summit caldera). The activity is confined to the summit caldera and the hazards will be reassessed as the eruption progresses.

HVO will continue to monitor this activity closely and report any significant changes in future notices.

HVO is in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. See the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm. 

HVO will continue to monitor Kīlauea and adjust the alert level/aviation color code accordingly. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued. Hazards are present on Kīlauea and are described below. 

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes 

Hazard Analysis: 

The eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. High levels of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects down-wind. As SO₂ is continuously released from the summit during the eruption, it will react in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind of Kīlauea. 

Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope and are currently confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the eastern part of Kīlauea caldera, according to the HVO. Additional hazards include Pele’s hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from the lava fountains that will fall downwind of the fissure vents and dust the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the vent (s). Strong winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation. 

Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes within the area closed to the public. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.