USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-03-19T12:06:16+00:00

Activity Summary: 

Episode 14 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption has not started yet, but six small, short-lived lava flows have erupted between midnight and 6:00 a.m. HST.  

Small, short-lived, sluggish lava flows began overflowing the south vent just before midnight.  The first flow was active from 23:58 p.m. HST March 18 to 00:02 a.m. HST March 19 and the second from 00:56 to 1:03 a.m. HST.  These were followed by a third tongue of lava from the south vent from 1:57 to 2:01 a.m. HST and a fourth from 3:36 to 3:46 a.m. HST.  The fifth and sixth sluggish lobes erupted from 4:20 a.m. to 4:28 a.m. HST and 5:04 to 5:14 a.m. HST. None of the flows lasted more than 10 minutes nor went more than about 50 feet (15 meters) from the south vent.  Occasional spatter bursts could be seen in the north vent on the V1 camera throughout the night and becoming more frequent in the early morning hours. The small overflows from the south vent and observed spattering in the north vent show that magma is very near the surface in both vents. 

Tilt has remained relatively flat through each of these events though they are marked by very small spikes in tremor.  Inflationary tilt remains stalled since yesterday evening and has recovered only 11.5 microradians in the last week of the 13 microradian deflationary loss during episode 13. Seismic tremor remains near background levels except for the small increases associated with the short-lived lava flows.

The continuous eruption of lava accompanied by fountaining that would mark episode 14 has not yet begun but is likely to start in the next 24 hours. If this episode follows the pattern of prior episodes preceded by short-lived flows in the current eruption, continuous eruption of lava should begin within 12 hours after the onset of the small flows or by noon today.   The onset of fountains would be expected within a few hours after that.            

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. 

• Timeline of eruption episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 
• The Kīlauea summit livestream video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live

No changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue an eruption update tomorrow morning unless there are significant changes before then. 

Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at WATCH/ORANGE. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

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.