USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-12-17T18:12:09+00:00

Activity Summary: Kīlauea volcano is not erupting. Starting in the early morning of Saturday December 14, there have been several modest upticks in seismic activity underneath the volcano's summit, lasting from an hour to a few hours, often accompanied by minor inflation. Seismicity at East Rift Zone, and Southwest Rift Zone is low and deformation is steady. Continued summit inflation and increased seismic activity suggests an increasing amount of magma is being stored underneath the summit area. Given activity over the past week, HVO will switch from weekly updates to daily updates starting tomorrow Wednesday December 18.

Summit Observations: Earthquake activity at Kīlauea's summit region was low in the first half of the last week. Starting in the early morning of Saturday December 14, there have been a few periods of increased seismicity activity, lasting from one to a few hours, often accompanied by minor inflation as recorded at the tiltmeter at Uēkahuna, northwest of Kaluapele, the summit caldera, and tiltmeter at Sand Hill, southwest of Kaluapele. Overall, there were about 250 earthquakes underneath the summit, most at depths of 1 to 3 miles under the surface, and most below magnitude-2.0. Since the September eruption in the East Rift Zone, there have been sustained rates of inflation at the summit. The most recent measurement of the sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate from the summit was approximately 70 tonnes per day on October 17, a value representative of noneruptive conditions at Kīlauea. Unfavorable weather and wind conditions have delayed acquisition of a new SO2 emission rate measurement.

Rift Zone Observations: Shallow earthquake counts in the upper and middle East Rift Zone (ERZ) remain at low levels. There were approximately 70 located earthquakes in the middle ERZ, and approximately 40 in the upper ERZ as well, with most below magnitude-2.0. Deformation remains steady in the ERZ, as recorded by GPS instruments and tiltmeters. There are no indications of any changes downrift in the lower East Rift Zone.  

Analysis: Kīlauea erupted briefly in and near Nāpau Crater from September 15–20, 2024. Lava flows from this eruption covered more than 880,000 square meters (217 acres) of Nāpau Crater and areas to the west. A webpage with eruption-related resources is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/science/september-2024-napau-eruption#overview

Since that most recent eruption, unrest has continued at low levels at the summit and on the ERZ of Kīlauea. Rates of seismicity and ground deformation have greatly decreased since the eruption, but geophysical data show that magma is continuing to move at a low rate into the volcano. Future intrusions and eruptions could occur with continued magma supply.

Hazards: Near the recent middle East 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.

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.

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

Updates: Given activity over the past week, HVO will switch from weekly updates to daily updates starting tomorrow Wednesday December 18. Additional messages will be issued as needed. HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued. Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm.