USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-08-03T18:28:18+00:00

Activity Summary: Kīlauea is not erupting. Over the past 24 hours, the number of detected earthquakes in the upper-to-middle East Rift Zone approximately doubled compared to the previous day, with no significant changes in ground deformation at the summit or upper-to-middle East Rift Zone. There are no significant changes in activity elsewhere on the volcano. New seismic swarms may occur with little or no warning and result in either intrusion of magma or eruption of lava in these regions. 

Summit Observations: Over the past 24 hours, about 5 earthquakes were detected beneath Kaluapele (Kīlauea’s summit caldera) at depths of 1–3 km (0.6–1.8 mi) below the ground surface. Tiltmeters in Kīlauea summit region (instruments UWE, northwest of the summit, and SDH, southwest of the summit) show minor inflation over the past day (between half a microradian to 2 microradians). GPS instruments around the summit region show gradual inflation. The most recent measurement of the summit's SO₂ emission rate was approximately 65 tonnes per day on July 23, 2024.

Rift Zone Observations: Approximately 145 earthquakes were detected beneath the upper East Rift Zone (UERZ) over the past 24 hours, at depths of 1–5 km (0.6–3 mi) below the ground surface (compared to 66 over the previous day). The ESC tiltmeter in the UERZ recorded no significant changes. The cluster of earthquakes east of Maunaulu near Makaopuhi Crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park continued, with about 50 events detected over the past day (compared to 30 the day before). Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations downwind of Puʻuʻōʻō in the middle East Rift Zone—the site of 1983–2018 eruptive activity—remain below detection limits for SO₂, indicating that SO₂ emissions from this area are negligible.

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the lower East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone remain low. 

Analysis: Pulses of earthquakes and ground deformation beneath Kīlauea's upper East Rift Zone from July 22–25, 2024, represented stages of an intrusion between Pauahi Crater and Maunaulu. The intrusive event is over, and magma has been repressurizing the storage system beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and the south caldera region, activating earthquakes in the upper East Rift Zone. Continuing earthquakes and ground deformation in the area between Maunaulu and Makaopuhi Crater (slightly downrift, in the middle East Rift Zone) likely reflect local adjustments due to changes in pressurization from the intrusion rather than intrusion growth via new magma being supplied from the summit. Additional earthquake swarms may occur with little or no warning and result in either intrusion of additional magma or eruption of lava. 

Updates: The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) will continue to provide daily updates for Kīlauea volcano. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued. HVO is in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website will have information about any temporary closures: https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/news/newsreleases.htm 

Recent Eruption Information: Kīlauea erupted briefly on June 3, 2024, southwest of the summit region within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. For more information about this eruption, see this webpage: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/june-2024-kilauea-southwest-rift-zone-eruption.

Hazards: Shallow magma movement can produce minor to severe ground fractures and subsidence features, which can affect the landscape, human activity, and infrastructure. These ground cracks can continue to widen and offset as magma migration continues, may have unstable overhanging edges, and should be avoided. 

Hazards 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.

Near the recent Southwest Rift Zone eruption site, minor to severe ground fractures and subsidence features may continue to widen and offset, may have unstable overhanging edges, and should be avoided. Hazards associated with the recent lava flows include glassy (sharp) surfaces that can cause serious abrasions, and lacerations upon contact with unprotected or exposed skin; uneven and rough terrain that can lead to falls and other injuries; or, locally elevated levels of volcanic gases that can lead to breathing difficulty.

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

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

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.