USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-01-25T17:47:21+00:00

Activity Summary:  

Kīlauea summit eruption resumed at 11:28 p.m. HST, January 24, within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

The is the sixth episode of Kīlauea's current eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) that began on December 23, 2024. Lava fountains reached heights of 150 feet (45 meters or more) during the first few hours of this episode and are currently reaching heights of 50-100 feet (15-30 meters). Fountain-fed lava flows are erupting onto the crater floor.

Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions and windblown volcanic glass (Pele’s Hair) that may impact Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and nearby communities. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Summit Observations:

Episode 6 began when fountain-fed lava flows began erupting onto the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at 11:28 p.m. HST January 24. The onset was preceded by small, sporadic spatter fountains that began at approximately 6:00 p.m. and continued to increase in intensity until 11:15 p.m., when sustained fountaining began. Initially, fountains fed only the main channel and flow from the north vent, but by midnight a second channel and flow formed as fountaining increased and reached maximum heights of over 150 feet (45 meters).  Fountain heights began to decrease by 2:00 a.m. January 25 and by 3:30 a.m. HST flow in the second channel had stopped and fountains had dropped to their current level of 50-100 feet (15-30 meters).

Inflationary tilt at the summit recovered the 2.5 microradian tilt loss during episode 5 by 2:00 p.m. HST on January 24 and had increased another 0.5 microradians just before the eruption restarted.  The Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) switched from inflation to deflation at about 11:25 p.m. just before lava flows began erupting onto the crater floor and has recorded about 2.5 microradians of deflationary tilt since then. Seismic tremor began increasing at about 11:25 p.m. just before lava flows began erupting onto the crater floor and remains elevated. Two earthquakes with magnitudes less than 1 were recorded over the past 24 hours.

Volcanic gas emissions remain elevated. A sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate of approximately 10,000 tonnes per day was measured on January 22 at the start of episode 5. Emission rates at the start of episode 6 were likely similar.  Light winds are currently blowing the plume to the southwest away from the summit and communities near Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Strands of volcanic glass known as Pele’s Hair that formed during recent eruptive episodes have been found on surfaces throughout the summit area of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and surrounding communities. 

Summit eruption livestream: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live

Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams 

Summit eruption reference map: January 15, 2025—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map | U.S. Geological Survey

Volcano Watch article about Pele's Hair from this eruption: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-recent-lava-fountains-highlight-peles-hair-hazards

Rift Zone Observations:

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation remain very low in the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone with less than 10 earthquakes in the past 24 hours.

Analysis: 

The current eruption is marked by episodic fountaining not seen in any of the other Halemaʻumaʻu eruptions since 2020. Episodic fountains and lava flows have erupted from two vents that we refer to as the north vent and south vent. The previous five fountaining episodes to date lasted from a few hours to over a week. Each fountaining episode has been accompanied by strong deflation of the summit region. Pauses or periods of repose between the fountaining episodes have been marked by an immediate change from deflation to inflation as the magma chamber recharges and repressurizes.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency about eruptive hazards.

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

Hazards: 

The eruption has been 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 gas 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.