Volcanic eruption
Details
Event title
United States - Kīlauea eruption continues with spectacular lava fountains reaching 100 feet
Source
Severity
High
Event date (UTC)
2025-01-03 08:46:10
Last update (UTC)
2025-01-05 11:21:47
The eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Monday, Dec. 23, continues this morning, according to a daily update issued by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Over the past day, vents in the southwest portion of the caldera have continued producing a fan of lava flows covering the western portion of the crater floor during sustained lava fountaining.
Eruptive activity has been confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the down-dropped block within the caldera. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
Seismicity at the summit over the last 24 hours has been low with 10 small detected earthquakes, two in the upper ERZ, and three in the SWRZ, the HVO reports. SO2 emissions remain elevated, with a gas plume rising above the caldera this morning that is being carried to the southwest.
The current eruption at the summit of Kīlauea is the sixth eruption within the caldera since 2020. These eruptions in the summit region have lasted for about a week to more than a year in duration, according to the HVO.
“Current fountaining intensity has been associated with deflation of the summit magma reservoir, which in earlier episodes led to pauses in eruptive activity; it is uncertain if these fountaining levels will be sustained,” the HVO reports.
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Related events
2025-01-05 11:21:46
- Event title: United States - Kīlauea summit eruption remains paused, but glow from lava lake persists
- Last update (UTC): 2025-01-05 11:21:47
- Latitude: 19.409679
- Longitude: -155.2807
- Severity: High
- Details