USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-14T16:47:05+00:00

Overview:

The summit eruption of Kīlauea resumed with precursory overflows from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu this morning starting at 4:10 a.m. HST and lasted 20 minutes.  A second overflow began at 5:59 a.m. HST and ended at 7:04 a.m. HST with a third starting at 8:14 a.m. HST. The south vent had 4 very short (<5 minute) overflows starting at 6:34 a.m. HST and continuing. The onset of episode 49 fountains is expected today or tomorrow, June 14-15. Winds are currently light trades from the northeast and models for episode 49 fountain--related ash clouds currently suggest most tephra fall will be to the south of the vents, though nearby communities to the north of Kīlaueaʻs summit may experience trace tephra and/or ash-Peleʻs hair fall.

No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

NOTE: Significant changes in activity between Daily Updates are posted here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages

Summit Observations:

The summit eruption of Kīlauea resumed with overflows from the north vent starting at 4:10 a.m. HST and lasting until 4:30 a.m. HST. A second overflow began at 5:59 a.m. HST and ended at 7:04 a.m. HST. This overflow was accompanied by the start of slow summit deflation on the UWD tiltmeter that leveled out when the overflow stopped. A third north vent overflow began at 8:14 a.m. HST and is continuing. The south vent had a series of very short overflows beginning at 6:35 a.m. HST with each lasting less than 5 minutes. Strong glow and periodic flames were visible from both vents overnight. The south vent had approximately 10 short periods (2-3 minutes) of jetting overnight, often with fine spatter and large flames. These were associated with tremor spikes that followed brief drops in tremor. 

Low level, continuous tremor related to the active vents continues to be recorded across summit seismometers. Irregular tremor spikes associated with increased south vent activity occurred overnight and are continuing this morning. There was one small earthquake less than M1.0 in the summit region in the past 24 hours.

Summit inflation recorded on the UWD tiltmeter continued overnight, showing 1 microradian of tilt increase and a total increase of 16.8 microradians since the end of episode 48. Since reaching a peak at 7:00 a.m. HST there has been a slight tilt drop of .2-.3 microradians associated with north vent overflows.

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rates from the summit may increase above the normal pause range between 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes per day during the precursory activity.  Winds are currently light trades from the northeast and ash dispersion models for episode 49 fountain--related ash clouds currently suggest most tephra fall will be to the southwest of the vents, though nearby communities to the north of Kīlaueaʻs summit may experience trace tephra and/or ash-Peleʻs hair fall 

Rift Zone Observations:

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation remain low in the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone. SO₂ emissions from the East Rift Zone remain below the detection limit.

Analysis:

Continued repose period inflation, tremor, and glow from the vents all indicate that episode 49 is likely. The onset of precursory lava flows at 4:10 a.m. HST indicates the onset of episode 49 is close, certainly within the next 2-3 days. Inflation remained steady until 7:00 a.m. HST when it began to deflate due to precursory eruptions from the north vent. Forecast models based on Kīlauea summit region inflation rates suggest that the start of fountaining episode 49 is most likely today, Sunday June 13, or Monday June 15 with a very slight chance of Tuesday, June 16. These models suggest that Sunday June 14 or Monday June 15 are most likely.  The early activity of the north vent may indicate that today is the most likely for the start of episode 49.

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically since December 23, 2024, from two vents (north and south) in Halema‘uma‘u. Lava fountaining episodes, which generally last for less than 12 hours, are separated by pauses that can be longer than three weeks.

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

Summary of episode 48:

A detailed account of episode 48 is given in the HVO Status Report Issued June 1: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-02T00:33:02+00:00

• Episode 48 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at the summit of Kīlauea at 4:40 a.m. HST and ended abruptly at 1:37 p.m. HST on June 1, 2026, after 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. Lava fountains reached a maximum height of almost 650 ft (200 m) and lava flows covered 40% of the crater floor. The eruption is currently paused.
• The Halemaʻumaʻu eruption now has the most fountaining episodes ever recorded for an episodic fountaining eruption, edging out the Pu‘u‘ō‘ō eruption which had 47 fountain episodes. Other eruptions have had additional episodes related to changes in vent activity and location, this only applies to episodic fountains.
• Most tephra fell within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, but sparse reticulite up to 1 inch (2 centimeters) in size fell at both the Uēkahuna overlook and on Highway 11 west of Nāmakanipaio campground. Fine ash and Peleʻs hair was reported from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in communities to the northeast, including Mauna Loa Estates, Ohia Estates, Volcano village, and Royal Hawaiian Estates.

Resources:

NOTE: Several summit stations, including the SDH tiltmeter, remain offline until we are able to re-establish access across the deep tephra field southwest of the caldera.

The following links provide more information about the current eruption that began on December 23, 2024:

• Eruption resources, including the most recent map and a timeline of eruption episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information
• Short messages tracking the evolution of the lava fountains and eruptive activity can be found here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream cameras that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams
• Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams
• Volcano Watch article on gas pistons: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-so-what-earth-or-least-kilauea-a-gas-piston

Hazards:

This episodic eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

• Volcanic Gas: high levels of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are continually released during an eruption. Emissions can remain locally hazardous in the areas immediately downwind of the vents, even when the vents are not actively erupting. SO₂ reacts in the atmosphere to create vog (volcanic air pollution) downwind. SO₂ and vog may cause respiratory and other problems at high concentrations. Further information on vog can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/
• Tephra: small glassy volcanic fragments—volcanic ash, pumice, scoria, Pele’s hair and reticulite—are created by the lava fountains. A combination of fountaining dynamics and wind conditions determines where tephra fall may occur for any given eruption episode. Larger particles fall near the vents while light particles may be wafted greater distances. These particles may be remobilized during windy conditions following recent eruptive episodes. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these fragments, which can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. More information and guidance on tephra fall hazards is available at https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/resource-and-guidance-for-volcanic-tephra-fall/
• Lava flows: lava on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera, remains hot and may slowly move in the days immediately following an eruptive episode.

Other significant hazards exist around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes. Close to the eruptive vents, the tephra material on the crater rim is prone to cracking, slumping, and small landslides that sometimes expose hot and molten material within. 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.