USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-02-04T23:33:41+00:00

Activity Summary: 

Kīlauea eruption paused at 7:23 p.m. HST, February 4. Episode 8 of the ongoing summit eruption in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park has ended.

Episode 8 lasted approximately 21.5 hours. Lava flows and fountains stopped erupting from the north vent at about 7:07 p.m., followed by the south vent at 7:23 p.m. Lava flows from episode 8 covered greater than half of the Halema'uma'u crater floor.

Summit tilt changed rapidly from deflation to inflation, and seismic tremor decreased, at about the same time that the lava flows and fountains stopped erupting. The Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded about 11 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 8. 

Kīlauea's current eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) began on December 23, 2024. There have been 8 episodes of lava fountaining separated by pauses in activity. Each episode of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, has continued for 13 hours to 8 days and episodes have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting less than 24 hours to 12 days. All eruptive activity is occurring in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions and windblown volcanic glass (Pele’s Hair) that may impact Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and nearby communities.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue an eruption update tomorrow morning unless there are significant changes before then. 

• 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
• Timeline of eruptive episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information

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 

Hazards: 

This episodic 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/.

Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains that can fall on the ground downwind of the eruptive vent(s). Pele's hair are strands of volcanic glass produced by lava fountaining activity. Strong winds may waft these light particles to greater distances downwind. Pele's hair 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. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation. 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 and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera. 

Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu 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, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.