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USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-09-17T05:15:02+00:00
Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Issued: Monday, September 16, 2024, 7:46 PM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2024/H328
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii
Volcanic Activity Summary:
The eruption on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea volcano resumed this evening, September 16, at approximately 6 p.m. HST. The eruption is occurring within a closed and remote area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards remains at WATCH and the Aviation Color Code remains at ORANGE at this time. The eruption does not currently pose an immediate threat to human life or infrastructure. Chain of Craters Road, which is closed, is located downslope and downwind of the erupting fissures. Residents of nearby subdivisions may experience volcanic gas emissions (see hazards section below) related to this activity, which may wax and wane over the coming days.
Current activity is restricted to Kīlaueaʻs middle East Rift Zone. Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the lower East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone remain low.
A magmatic intrusion has been ongoing in the area near Makaopuhi Crater on the middle East Rift Zone since September 14. A very small eruption occurred west of Nāpau Crater the evening of September 15 and has resumed this evening. The activity is visible in the PWcam: Live Panorama of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō West Flank from Pu‘u‘ō‘ō [PWcam].
HVO is continuing to closely monitor the middle East Rift Zone and in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. Temporary closures have been implemented as a result of this elevated activity; please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.
Numerous eruptions took place in Kīlauea's middle East Rift Zone during the 1960s–1970s. Most of these eruptions occurred between Hiʻiaka crater and Puʻuʻōʻō and lasted from less than one day to about two weeks, although there were long-lived eruptions at Maunaulu (1969–1971 and 1972–1974) and Puʻuʻōʻō (1983–2018). A map of past eruptive activity in the upper-to-middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/maps/kilauea-middle-east-rift-zone-reference-map.
For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes
Remarks:
Hazard Analysis:
High level of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H2O), and sulfur dioxide (SO2)—are emitted during eruptions and can have far-reaching effects downwind. As SO2 is released from, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) that has been observed downwind of eruptive vents. 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.
Shallow magma movement and eruptions 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.
Additional ground cracking and outbreaks of lava around the active fissures are possible at any time, or, existing fissures can be reactivated. Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope and can be avoided by people. They can destroy everything in their paths including vegetation and infrastructure—which can cut off road access and utilities. Hazards associated with active or recent lava flows include hot and glassy (sharp) surfaces that can cause serious burns, abrasions, and lacerations upon contact with unprotected or exposed skin; uneven and rough terrain can lead to falls and other injuries; hot temperatures that can cause heat exhaustion or dehydration, or in heavy rain can produce steamy ground-fog that can be acidic, severely limiting visibility and sometimes causing difficulty breathing.
If new lava flows cover and burn vegetation and soil, they can ignite natural gas pockets in the subsurface, which can cause methane explosions. These explosions can blast lava fragments up to several meters (yards) away and can be hazardous to observers.
Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from lava fountains and spattering will fall downwind, dusting the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the vent. High winds may waft lighter particles and transport them greater distances downwind. Exposure to these volcanic particles can cause skin and eye irritation.
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.
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.
Contacts:
Next Notice:
Daily updates on all volcanic activity at Kīlauea are issued each morning and posted on out website: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html You can sign up to receive these messages automatically by visiting https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
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