#Kilauea

On Dec, 23, 2024, a unique eruption began in Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with a style of activity not seen for nearly 40 years. The eruption, characterized by high lava-fountaining episodes, has continued for nearly a year. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitors see remarkable views, but the latest episode reminds us how quickly hazards associated with this dynamic activity can change.

The latest episode in the series that began nearly a year ago on Dec. 23, 2024, ended abruptly at 8:52 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 6), after a little more than 12 hours, when the south vent — which exploded earlier during the day and featured sustained fountaining as high as 1,200 feet at one point — ceased activity.

Sustained lava fountains approximately 50-100 feet are currently erupting from the north vent. Fountain heights are increasing rapidly and are coming from both the left and right vents within the north cone.

A magnitude-4.6 earthquake occurred 9 miles south-southeast of Fern Forest on the Island of Hawaiʻi at a depth of 3 miles below sea level at 11:49 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. The earthquake had no apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kīlauea volcanoes according to the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory, and there was no tsunami generated according to emergency management officials.

The largest Hawaiʻi earthquake of the 20th century and so far in the 21st century happened 50 years ago this month; shaking as well as ground subsidence and a local tsunami contributed to a catastrophic sequence of events Nov. 29, 1975.

Recent episodes featured the highest lava fountains, the most volume of lava erupted, and the highest rate of lava effusion for this event, which has now lasted over 10 months. 

Episode 36 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 4:16 p.m. HST on November 9 after just under 5 hours of continuous fountaining. Lava fountains reached a maximum of 1000-1100 ft during this episode.

Kīlauea summit inflation immediately resumed following the end of episode 35 and continues along with tremor and vent glow. These observations indicate that another fountaining episode is probable, but likely at least two weeks away. 

Precursory low-level activity for episode 35 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption increased on Thursday morning, Oct. 16, 2025, with a series of lava overflows and drainbacks occurring from the south vent. 

Update: Episode 34 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 7:03 a.m. HST on Oct. 1 after just over 6 hours of continuous fountaining.

Episode 32 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 after more than 13 hours of continuous fountaining.  Lava fountains reached up to 500 ft during this episode and averaged more than 250 cubic yards per sec of lava, the highest output for a short-lived fountain episode. 

Recently spotted cracks in the delta demonstrate the instability of solid lava along the coastal edge; the new cracks are alarming and have led people to wonder what they mean.

With the 30th episode, came one of the most significant changes since the eruption started—a new fissure in the caldera wall.

Volcano Watch: Some of Kīlauea’s past explosive eruptions occurred when magma erupted through groundwater or through a lake in a summit crater.

Episode 30 vigorous fountaining of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption at Kīlauea began at approximately 1:20 a.m. HST on Wednesday, Aug. 6 and is currently producing broad fountains 150-300 feet high from the north vent.  

HVO scientists say it is unclear exactly when sustained eruptive activity may start, however, high lava fountaining is likely to begin today or tomorrow if summit inflation resumes.

An estimated 1.8 billion gallons of lava erupted during the episode, covering approximately 80% of the crater floor.

While it is challenging that a small portion of the Kīlauea monitoring network is impacted by the ongoing summit eruption, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says maintaining the network during eruptions comes with the job when it’s monitoring one of the most active volcanoes on Earth.

Episode 28 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 1:20 p.m. HST on July 9, 2025, after 9 hours of continuous fountaining, the final 8 of which were high fountaining.

If you’ve been following the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea, you may have seen the terms “gas piston” or “gas pistoning” show up in some of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) updates, photo captions, and other places.