USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-01-25T09:46:38+00:00

Activity Summary: The eruption of Kīlauea within Halemaʻumaʻu crater resumed at 11:28 p.m. HST on January 24, 2025, when fountain-fed lava flows erupted out of the north vent.

This marks the beginning of the sixth episode of the current eruption that began on December 23, 2024, following the most recent pause that began on Thursday January 23, 2025 at 4:30 a.m. HST.

Episode 6 was preceded by small, sporadic spatter fountains that began at approximately 6 p.m. and continued to increase in intensity until 11:15 p.m., when sustained fountaining began. Episode 6 began when fountain-fed lava flows began erupting onto the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at 11:28 p.m. Current activity includes small dome fountains 15 feet (5 meters) high feeding a short lava flow from the north vent. 

Inflationary tilt at the summit recovered the 2.5 microradian tilt loss during episode 5 by 2:00 p.m. HST on January 24th and had increased another 0.5 microradians just before the eruption restarted. The tiltmeter at Uēkahuna switched to deflation and seismic tremor both began increasing at about 11:25 p.m. just before lava flows began erupting onto the crater floor. 

Currently light winds are blowing at less than 10 mph out of the north-northeast sending the gas plume to the south into the Kaʻū Desert.

Each episode of lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, has continued for 14 hours to 8 days and episodes have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting a less than 24 hours to 12 days. 

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue an eruption update tomorrow morning unless there are significant changes before then. HVO remains in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm The Kīlauea summit livestream video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live  

Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at WATCH/ORANGE. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. No changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

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.  

The Kīlauea summit livestream video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live 

Hazards: The eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. High levels of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. As SO₂ is continuously released from the summit during an eruption, it will react in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind of Kīlauea. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.

Pele's hair, which are strands of volcanic glass often produced by lava fountaining activity, can be carried by the wind. It can sometimes cluster and tangle together on the ground, giving it the appearance of a tumbleweed. The extent of Pele's hair is dependent on lava fountaining activity and current wind conditions. More information about how Pele's hair is formed is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-peles-hairs-a-beautiful-hazard-island-hawaii. A Frequently Asked Questions document developed for the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption includes information about potential health effects of Pele's hair and is available here: https://vog.ivhhn.org/sites/default/files/FAQ_on_air_quality_and_health_during_Mauna_Loa_eruption_v1.6.pdf

Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope, and during this eruption flows have been confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera. Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains that can fall on the ground within a few hundred yards (meters) of the eruptive vent(s), or on the western caldera rim downwind of the vent(s). Strong winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances downwind, and wind directions are variable. Residents and visitors 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 Kīlauea's caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.
 
For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards.