USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-07-25T17:51:06+00:00

Activity Summary: Kīlauea is not erupting. Upper East Rift Zone unrest continues, with a pulse of increased seismicity starting at around 10 a.m. H.S.T. yesterday and another pulse starting this morning at around 4 a.m. and is still ongoing at the time of writing. Over 500 earthquakes have been detected in the past 24 hours, including 12 magnitude-3 or greater. The largest earthquake in the elevated unrest sequence that started on July 22 was a magnitude-3.9 this morning at 4:33 a.m. H.S.T. Over the past 24 hours, seismicity and ground deformation rates remain elevated, and data suggests magma may be slowly moving out of the summit storage region. Additional seismic pulses or swarms may occur with little or no warning and result in either continued intrusion of magma or eruption of lava.

Summit and Upper East Rift Zone Observations: Over the past 24 hours, there were approximately 4 earthquakes detected beneath Kaluapele, Kīlauea’s summit caldera, and approximately 524 earthquakes detected beneath the upper East Rift Zone (UERZ), mostly at depths of 0–4 km (0.0–2.5 mi) below the ground surface. Most events were smaller than magnitude-2, but there were 12 earthquakes magnitude-3 or higher in the UERZ. The largest event was a magnitude-3.9 this morning at 4:33 a.m. H.S.T. While UERZ seismicity has been elevated throughout the past 24 hours, there were two pulses of intense seismicity, representing the third and fourth pulses of the ongoing unrest sequence. The third pulse started at around 10 a.m. yesterday and was focused near Pauahi Crater (similar to the first two pulses). The fourth pulse started this morning around 4 a.m. H.S.T. and is ongoing. The fourth pulse is focused on the area near the intersection of the Chain of Craters and Hilina Pali roads. Tiltmeters in Kīlauea summit region (instruments SDH, southwest of the summit, and UWE, northwest of the summit) continued recording a net deflationary trend over the past 24 hours, suggesting magma may be moving out of the summit storage region. The most recent measurement of the summit's SO₂ emission rate was approximately 65 tonnes per day on July 23, 2024.

A summary of the first three pulses of intense seismicity activity is provide in an information statement published yesterday afternoon: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-07-25T02:17:22+00:00. An interferogram showing recent ground deformation patterns in the UERZ is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/july-24-2024-insar-image-kilauea-ground-deformation 

Middle and Lower Rift Zone Observations: Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the middle and lower East Rift Zone and lower Southwest Rift Zone remain low. Recent eruptive activity and ongoing unrest have been restricted to the summit and upper rift zone regions. Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations downwind of Puʻuʻōʻō in the middle East Rift Zone—the site of 1983–2018 eruptive activity—remain below detection limits for SO₂, indicating that SO₂ emissions from Puʻuʻōʻō are negligible.

Analysis: Recent strong pulses of earthquake activity, clustered between Pauahi Crater and Maunaulu, represent stages in emplacement of an intrusive dike beneath this area. The earthquakes and associated local deformation associated with the first three pulses are consistent with satellite data showing formation of a shallow (1-3 km, .5-2 mi) dike in this region. Deformation data is consistent with magma slowly moving out of the storage regions of the summit into the dike. The strong pulse of earthquakes this morning is clustered near the intersection of the Chain of Craters and Hilina Pali roads and is not clearly associated with dike formation at this time. Additional seismic pulses or swarms may occur with little or no warning and result in either continued intrusion of magma or eruption of lava. Changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for eruption, but there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time.

Updates: The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) will continue to provide daily updates for Kīlauea volcano. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued. HVO is in close contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Temporary closures have been implemented as a result of this elevated activity: https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/news/20240722-earthquakes.htm  

Recent Eruption Information: Kīlauea erupted briefly on June 3, 2024, southwest of the summit region within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. For more information about this eruption, see this webpage: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/june-2024-kilauea-southwest-rift-zone-eruption.

Hazards: Shallow magma movement can produce minor to severe ground fractures and subsidence features, which can affect the landscape, human activity, and infrastructure. These ground cracks can continue to widen and offset as magma migration continues, may have unstable overhanging edges, and should be avoided. 

Hazards 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.

Near the recent Southwest Rift Zone eruption site, minor to severe ground fractures and subsidence features may continue to widen and offset, may have unstable overhanging edges, and should be avoided. Hazards associated with the recent lava flows include glassy (sharp) surfaces that can cause serious abrasions, and lacerations upon contact with unprotected or exposed skin; uneven and rough terrain that can lead to falls and other injuries; or, locally elevated levels of volcanic gases that can lead to breathing difficulty.

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

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

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.