USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2022-01-25T10:09:43-08:00

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY DAILY UPDATE
U.S. Geological Survey
Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 8:31 AM HST (Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 18:31 UTC)

KILAUEA VOLCANO (VNUM #332010)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary: The summit eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, resumed at 5:52 a.m. HST this morning with a lava flow from the top of the west vent cone. This followed several days of minor progressively intermittent activity confined to a small pond north of the west vent cone. The lava lake began rising at about 6:30 a.m. HST this morning, and by 8:20 a.m. HST had risen 11 meters (36 feet). All recent lava activity has been confined to the crater, and there are no indications of activity migrating elsewhere on Kīlauea.

Summit Observations: Summit tiltmeters recorded deflation between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. HST yesterday January 24, 2022. At midnight this morning, summit tiltmeters recorded inflation, which continued until about 6 a.m. HST this morning; since then tilt has been flat and steady. Volcanic tremor associated with the eruption—as recorded by nearby seismometers—was barely above pre-eruption background values until about 4:10 a.m. this morning, when it started to increase. The most recent sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate of approximately 58 tonnes per day was measured yesterday January 24, 2022, when there was no new lava at the surface, while an SO₂ emission rate of approximately 2100 tonnes per day (t/d) was measured on January 19 when lava activity was rigorous and comparable to the current situation.

Halemaʻumaʻu Lava Lake Observations: Yesterday intermittent and minor lava lake activity was confined to a small pond north of the west vent cone, exhibiting stop-and-go activity with several hours between short-lived periods of new lava input. At 5:52 a.m. this morning activity rigorously restarted with a lava flow from the to of the west vent cone which flowed west and north along the crater margin. At 6:30 a.m. HST the lava lake began to rise, and by 8:20 a.m. HST had risen 11 meters (36 feet) to a total depth of 84 meters (276 feet) relative to when lava emerged on September 29, 2021. Measurements on January 14, 2022 indicated that the total lava volume effused since the beginning of the eruption was approximately 45 million cubic meters (12.0 billion gallons) at that time.

East Rift Zone Observations: No unusual activity has been noted in the Kīlauea East Rift Zone. Low rates of ground deformation and seismicity continue along the East Rift Zone, and along the Southwest Rift Zone. SO₂ and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) emissions from Puʻuʻōʻō, in the middle East Rift Zone, were below instrumental detection levels when last measured on January 7, 2021.

Hazard Analysis: This eruption at Kīlauea's summit is occurring within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Therefore, high levels of volcanic gas are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. Large amounts of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are continuously released during eruptions of Kīlauea volcano. As SO₂ is released from the summit, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) that has been observed downwind of Kīlauea. Vog creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock. For more information on gas hazards at the summit of Kīlauea, please see: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173017. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org. 

Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from lava fountains that will fall downwind and dust the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the erupting fissure vent(s). Strong winds may waft lighter particles to greater distances. Residents should minimize exposure to these volcanic particles, which can cause skin and eye irritation. 

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 the rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since early 2008. 

For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards.

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm. Visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park should note that under southerly (non-trade) wind conditions, there is potential for a dusting of powdery to gritty ash composed of volcanic glass and rock fragments. These ashfalls represent a minor hazard, but visitors should be aware that such dustings at areas around the Kīlauea summit are possible. 

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea volcano.

HVO will continue to issue daily Kīlauea volcano updates until further notice. Additional messages will be issued as needed.


More Information:
Kīlauea activity summary also available by phone: (808) 967-8862
Kīlauea webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
Kīlauea photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/photo-and-video-chronology
Kīlauea lava-flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
Kīlauea FAQs: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/faqs

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The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is one of five volcano observatories within the U.S. Geological Survey and is responsible for monitoring volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawaiʻi.