USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2022-02-03T08:33:29-08:00

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Thursday, February 3, 2022, 8:26 AM HST (Thursday, February 3, 2022, 18:26 UTC)

KILAUEA VOLCANO (VNUM #332010)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary: The summit eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, resumed late yesterday afternoon following a pause that lasted less than one day. Lava activity—which resembles that observed prior to the pause—remains confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater, and there are no indications of the eruption migrating elsewhere on Kīlauea.

Halemaʻumaʻu Lava Lake Observations: Effusion of lava from the western vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater stopped by 9 a.m. yesterday morning after several hours of deflation in the summit region. The surface of the lava lake stagnated except for the small lava pond just north of the western vent that has persisted through recent eruptive pauses. Inflation resumed in the late morning and continued through the afternoon, then starting around 5:30 p.m. HST, webcam views showed the lava pond rising and overflowing into the depression left by the active lava lake before the pause. Within one hour lava had reoccupied this footprint, and within two hours it had filled the depression to its rim, although no substantial overflows ensued. The active lava lake maintains this same configuration this morning. Multiple ooze-outs of lava along the northern and eastern margins of the crater were intermittently active overnight, in similar locations to ooze-outs just before the pause.

During yesterday's eruptive pause, the surface of the active lava lake bottomed out approximately 10 meters (33 feet) below its pre-pause level, presumably reflecting a temporary decrease in lava supply to the surface. After effusion resumed at 5:30 p.m. HST, by 8 p.m. HST the active lake surface had already risen back to the pre-pause level, and over the next few hours it rose a further 2 meters (7 feet). The active lake surface has now stabilized at this level, so as of 8 a.m. HST this morning, the active lava lake is approximately 91 meters (299 feet) deep relative to when lava emerged on September 29, 2021. Measurements on January 28 indicated that the total lava volume effused since the beginning of the eruption was approximately 45 million cubic meters (12.0 billion gallons) at that time.

Summit Observations: Summit tiltmeters began tracking inflationary tilt around 10 a.m. HST yesterday. The rate of inflation increased around 12 p.m. HST, though it slowed again through the afternoon. Within the first hour after the eruption resumption at 5:30 p.m. HST, summit tiltmeters began tracking slow deflationary tilt that continues through this morning. During yesterday's eruptive pause, eruption-related volcanic tremor dropped off but did not fully decline to background levels; tremor started picking back up around 5 p.m. HST, approximately 30 minutes before the eruption resumption, and has since stabilized. Earthquake activity in the summit region remains below background level. A sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate of approximately 4,500 tonnes per day (t/d) was measured on February 1, the day before the pause.

Rift Zone Observations: No unusual activity has been noted along the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone; low rates of ground deformation and seismicity continue along both. Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations downwind of Puʻuʻōʻō in the middle East Rift Zone remain below detection limits for SO₂, indicating that SO₂ emissions from Puʻuʻōʻō are negligible.

Hazard Analysis: This eruption at Kīlauea's summit is occurring within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Therefore, high levels of volcanic gas are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. Large amounts of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are continuously released during eruptions of Kīlauea volcano. As SO₂ is released from the summit, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) that has been observed downwind of Kīlauea. Vog creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock. For more information on gas hazards at the summit of Kīlauea, please see: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173017. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org. 

Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from lava fountains that will fall downwind and dust the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the erupting fissure vent(s). Strong winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances. Residents 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 the rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since early 2008. 

For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards.

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm. Visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park should note that under southerly (non-trade) wind conditions, there is potential for a dusting of powdery to gritty ash composed of volcanic glass and rock fragments. These ashfalls represent a minor hazard, but visitors should be aware that such dustings at areas around the Kīlauea summit are possible. 

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea volcano.

HVO will continue to issue daily Kīlauea volcano updates until further notice. Additional messages will be issued as needed.


More Information:
Kīlauea activity summary also available by phone: (808) 967-8862
Kīlauea webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
Kīlauea photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/photo-and-video-chronology
Kīlauea lava-flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
Kīlauea FAQs: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/faqs

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Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hazards

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CONTACT INFORMATION:

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The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawaiʻi.