USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2022-02-24T09:48:56-08:00

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Thursday, February 24, 2022, 7:57 AM HST (Thursday, February 24, 2022, 17:57 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, has nearly paused corresponding with deflationary tilt and a drop in volcanic tremor. All recent lava activity has been confined to the crater, and there are no indications of activity migrating elsewhere on Kīlauea.

Halemaʻumaʻu Lava Lake Observations: Eruption of lava from the western vent into the active lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater has nearly paused over the past 24 hours with only slight lava output within the active lava lake level since yesterday morning. Short-lived minor flows of active lava continue to erupt from the west vent and flows to the south, west, and into the western lava lake. There were no significant ooze outs along the margins of the lava lake over the past 24 hours. This decreased effusive activity corresponds with a drop in tilt of approximately 2.6 microradians with corresponding decrease in tremor at the summit. The high point on the floor of Halema’uma’u crater has dropped approximately 10 meters (33 feet) over the last 24 hours. The active lava lake is now approximately 84 meters (276 feet) deep relative to when lava emerged on September 29, 2021. The erupted volume is 45 million cubic meters (59 million cubic yards) of lava as measured on January 25, 2021.

Summit Observations: At approximately 5:00 pm HST on February 22, 2022, tilt started a deflationary trend with a total decrease of approximately 2.6 microradians. At 6:00 am HST yesterday tilt rates slowed and have since been steady. Seismic data shows that the volcanic tremor signal started to decrease at the same time as the tilt (approximately 5:00 pm HST on February 22, 2022) and now remains low and steady over the last 24 hours. Earthquake activity at the summit remains below background levels. A sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate of approximately ~630 tonnes per day (t/d) was measured on February 23.

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.

In addition to the morning Kīlauea Daily Update, HVO will issue a brief eruption “Status Report” around 3 p.m. HST daily due to frequent pauses in the eruption and the highly variable nature of the lava lake activity within Halema‘uma‘u crater. The addition of afternoon status reports does not reflect a change in hazards; these reports are intended to give Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park staff and visitors an idea of likely lava activity for the coming evening.

Volcano Notification Service subscribers may need to update their subscription settings in order to receive the afternoon Kīlauea Status Reports: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/. Please contact askHVO@usgs.gov with questions.



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

----------
Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hazards
Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo
Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes



CONTACT INFORMATION:

askHVO@usgs.gov

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.