USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-03-08T19:30:43+00:00

Activity Summary:  

The Kīlauea summit eruption within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park remains paused.  Given current high rates of reinflation, a new episode is expected in the next 2-3 days.  Episode 12 ended at 10:37 a.m. HST on March 5, though lava flows continue to spread out on eastern side of the crater. See the March 5 Kīlauea daily update for a detailed account of the episode 12 eruption.

All eruptive activity is occurring in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. No significant changes have 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.

Summit Observations:

Lava flows unrelated to the episode 12 eruption continue to spread out on the down-dropped block on the eastern side of Halemaʻumaʻu. These are fed from by older stored lava from beneath the crater floor.  

Summit tilt continues in an inflationary direction and has recovered 7.5 microradians as of March 8.  Rates of tilt have slowed slightly from about 2.5 microradians a day to just under 2 microradians a day in the last 24 hours.  Four earthquakes were located within Kīlauea’s summit region yesterday, with the largest measuring about magnitude-1.5.  Volcanic tremor decreased significantly with the end of episode 12. Rates of SO₂ emissions have dropped since the end of the episode and were measured at 1,000 tonnes/day yesterday, which in the typical range for eruption pauses.  

Episodes of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, have continued for 13 hours to 8 days and episodes have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting from less than 24 hours to 12 days. While episode 12 began with intermittent eruption at 7:30 a.m. HST, continuous eruption did not begin until 12:45 p.m. HST and lasted for just under 22 hours.

Strands of volcanic glass known as Pele’s Hair have been reported 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 no significant earthquake activity in the past 24 hours. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from the East Rift Zone remains below detection limit.

Analysis: 

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

Analysis of inflationary tilt patterns prior to the onset of each fountaining episode allows a time window of probability for the onset of new episodes to be estimated. These are calculated using observations of pressure drop during each episode and the rate of inflation. The current tilt recovery and inflation is greater than during prior pauses and the next eruption is expected early in the coming week.  Estimates from the past 72 hours of data suggest that the most likely start of the next episode will happen in the next 2-3 days, between Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11 with Monday the most likely depending on inflation rates at the summit.

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

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/.

Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains. Pele's hair are strands of volcanic glass often produced by lava fountaining activity. Volcanic fragments 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 light particles to greater distances downwind. Once they are on the ground, they can sometimes cluster and tangle together 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 crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera. 

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.