USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-03-11T18:49:48+00:00

Activity Summary:  

Episode 13 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 2:36 a.m. HST on March 11.  Fountains from the north vent reached heights of 400-500 feet (120-150 m) by 3:30 a.m. HST and over 600 feet (180 meters) by 4:00 a.m. HST.  Both the north and south vents are currently producing lava fountains with heights of 460-520 feet (140-160 m).  Lava flows from both vents have covered 40-50% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.

Summit Observations:

Episode 13 was preceded by small, sporadic spatter fountains 15-30 feet high (5-10 m) that began at approximately 1:30 p.m. HST on March 10 within the north vent and continued to increase in intensity until 6:35 p.m. HST when spattering could be seen on the streaming webcam (V1). Spattering continued to increase during the night and into the early morning hours of March 11.

Lava erupted from the north vent at 2:36 a.m. HST March 11 and high fountains began about 10 minutes later, which reached heights of 400-500 feet (120-150 meters) by 3:30 a.m. HST and over 600 feet (180 meters) by 3:40 a.m. HST.  Lava flows began from the south vent at 3:12 a.m. HST and fountains from the south vent started by 3:30 a.m. HST. These reached heights of 200 feet (60 m) by 3:40 a.m. HST. 

This morning, high fountaining from both vents continues and is currently at heights of 460-520 feet (140-160 m). Lava flows from both vents have covered 40-50% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.

Tilt turned to a deflationary direction at about 2:36 a.m. HST, together with the start of episode 13, and as of this morning, the amplitude indicates that the magma chamber feeding the eruption has lost about two-thirds of the pressure that it built up during the pause. Seismic tremor began increasing just before 2:30 a.m. HST when fountains within the north vent picked up and continues this morning. Only one earthquake was detected in Kīlauea’s summit region. 

Measurements of SO₂ emissions require daylight and are expected to be collected later today, weather permitting.  Based upon previous measurements, SO2 emissions are expected to be greater than 10,000 tonnes per day.   Peleʻs hair was reported falling this morning in the town of Pahala about 25 miles (40 kilometers) downwind to the southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu.

Episodes of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, have continued for 13 hours to 8 days and have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting less than 24 hours to 12 days. 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. Currently, the system is in an eruptive episode and relieving pressure from the Halemaʻumaʻu magma reservoir. 

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.