USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-09-12T16:10:43+00:00

Overview:

Kīlauea volcano has been intermittently erupting precursory lava flows from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu since September 7. A total of 101 overflows have occurred since then, with the most recent ending at 7:27 a.m. HST this morning. This style of activity has been typical in the hours to days before a summit lava fountaining episode. Slow summit inflation continues and is currently above the episode 54 starting level. Conditions remain favorable for the start of episode 55 fountaining in the next 24-48 hours, September 12-13.

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

A detailed summary of lava fountaining episode 54 on August 25, 2026, can be found below.

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

PRECURSORY ALERT LEVEL NOTICE: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-09-07T20:09:10+00:00

Summit Observations:

Glow was observed from all three vents at times overnight. There were 33 overflows from the north vent in the past 24 hours along with vigorous spattering and large flames during drainback events at the end of the flows. Occasional spattering and flames were observed from the west vent and more rarely from the south vent. The size and vigor of dome fountains in the north vent has gradually doubled in size over the past day from about 15-35 feet (5-10m) to 35-50 feet (10-15 m) in height suggesting the magma is less degassed than earlier flows. Overflows in the past 24 hours have averaged about 20 minutes in length with 10-15 minutes separating each event. The fluid overflows have built a small shield around the north vent nested within the spatter cone. Precursory overflows have been erupting for 5 days from the north vent; this is the fifth longest precursory period since high fountains began after episode 4.  The longest period of precursory activity was 6.2 days before episode 44 and the most overflows record was 179 from the north and south vents combined prior to episode 36.

The onset of precursory overflows was preceded by weak spattering from the north vent, first reported at 6:54 p.m. HST on September 6. Initial sluggish precursory overflows from the north vent started at around 12:45 p.m. HST on September 7 with no dome fountains or spattering. Overflows from the north vent have continued intermittently since then, with a total of 101 so far lasting from a few minutes to about 2 hours long and separated by interludes of about 15 minutes to 8 hours. Overflows between September 7-9 became progressively more vigorous and were fed by a dome fountain that reached 15-30 ft (5-10 m) tall. Two main lava flows have formed during these overflows with one making it about a half mile (1 kilometer) to the southwest of the north vent, and the other making it less than half a mile (1 kilometer) to the northeast of the north vent. On September 10, overflows were generally sluggish, less frequent, shorter in duration (less than ten minutes), not fed by a dome fountain, and did not travel as far from the north vent. Overflows on September 11 showed more vigor and lasted longer than ten minutes. Several of the overflows on September 11 were fed by dome fountains 15-30 ft (5-10 m) tall and generated lava flows that traveled farther from the north vent than the day before. 

Tremor continues across the summit with regular intervals (about 5 minutes) of gas piston activity. Changes in tremor were used with webcam imagery to time the duration of recent overflows from the north vent. Over the past 24 hours, 12 small earthquakes were recorded beneath the summit region mostly south of Halemaʻumaʻu. 

Summit reinflation has been very unsteady since lava fountaining episode 54 on August 25. On September 7 around 3:00 p.m. HST, inflation at UWD reached a maximum that was higher than when episode 54 began, approximately 13.2 microradians. Following this inflationary high, UWD recorded around 1 microradian of deflation with the onset of precursory lava flows from the north vent. From then on, there was little net change until around 9 p.m. HST on September 10, when slow inflation returned. As of this morning, UWD is a total gain of 13.6 microradians since the end of episode 54, almost 1 microradian above the 12.7 microradians lost during episode 54.

During inter-episode pauses, the sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate from the summit typically varies between 1,000 and 5,000 tonnes per day. Ligh trade winds (less than 10 mph (5 meters per second) are pushing the degassing plume to the southwest of Kīlauea's summit caldera this morning are expected to continue.  Models indicate that gases as well as fine ash and Pele's hair would be transported to the south of Kaluapele if episode 55 fountaining were to begin today.

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:

The abrupt switch from summit deflation to inflation at the end of lava fountaining episode 54, glow from the vents, overflows, inflation, and continued seismic tremor bursts at Kīlauea summit indicate that another lava fountaining episode is likely in the next 24-48 hours. Inflation-based forecast models are no longer functional. The summit region has regained the amount of deflation recorded during episode 54 and is now nearly a microradian over the level when that fountaining episode started. That, along with increased vigor of dome fountains feeding precursory overflows, indicates that conditions are right for the onset of episode 55 fountaining within the next 24-48 hours. Changes in inflation or eruptive patterns may cause the onset to be delayed.

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 of two or more 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 54:

A detailed account of episode 54 is given in the HVO Status Report issued on August 25: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-08-26T05:56:38+00:00

• Episode 54 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began around 10:30 a.m. HST and ended at 7:33 p.m. HST on August 25, 2026, after 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining. 
• The maximum lava fountain height from the north vent was approximately 500 feet (150 meters) above ground level, reached between 12:15 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. HST. Neither the south vent nor the new west vent (formerly the collapse pit) fountained during this episode.
• The maximum plume height was approximately 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) above sea level.
• Most tephra fall was restricted to the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, southwest of the active eruptive vents in Halemaʻumaʻu. However, HVO did also receive a report of trace Pele’s hair falling in the Ka‘ū district of the Island of Hawaiʻi.

Resources:

NOTE: HVO’s monitoring network is mostly recovered from recent power- and storm-related outages. Several summit stations will remain offline as we continue working to repair instruments and re-establish connections in our monitoring network.

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.