USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-03-12T18:29:15+00:00

Activity Summary:  

Kīlauea summit eruption paused as of March 11. A new eruptive episode may begin within the next 5-8 days in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Episode 13 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended abruptly at 3:13 p.m. HST on March 11 after about 13 hours of eruptive activity. Kīlauea's current eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) began on December 23, 2024. There have been 13 episodes of lava fountaining separated by pauses in activity. All eruptive activity remains within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions and windblown volcanic glass (Pele’s Hair) that may impact Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and nearby communities.

Summit Observations:

Lava flows and fountains stopped erupting from the vents within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at about 3:13 p.m. HST on March 11. Lava flows from episode 13 covered over 60% of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor. Spots of orange glow can still be seen on the crater floor at night as the erupted lava continues to cool. The vents continue to degas and glow at night, indicating magma remains at shallow levels in the vent. 

Summit tilt changed rapidly from deflation to inflation, and seismic tremor decreased, at about the same time that the lava fountains stopped erupting on March 11. The Uēkahuna (UWD) tiltmeter has recorded approximately 2 microradians of inflationary tilt since the end of episode 13. Seismic tremor decreased significantly at the end of episode 13 but remains above background. 1 small earthquake was recorded in the summit region over the past 24 hours. 

Volcanic gas emissions remain elevated. Based on measurements made during earlier episodes and pauses, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rates are likely to be approximately 1,000 t/d during the current pause. An SO₂ emission rate of 40,000 t/d was measured in the morning on March 11 during fountaining, and had decreased to around 3,000 t/d by 5:00 p.m. HST after the end of the episode.

Strands of volcanic glass known as Pele’s Hair were reported falling yesterday in the town of Pahala about 25 miles (40 kilometers) downwind to the southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu.

• Summit eruption livestream: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live
• Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams 

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) emissions from the East Rift Zone remain 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 13 fountaining 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 both minimum inflation necessary to start a new eruption and the rate of inflation. If current inflation rates at UWD continue, preliminary estimates suggest that the most likely window of time for a new episode to begin is between Monday, March 17 and Thursday, March 20. This preliminary estimate may be revised in future updates as more data becomes available.

• Timeline of eruptive episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information
• 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

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 downwind of the vent(s). Strong winds may waft light particles, including Pele's hair, to greater distances downwind. Once they are on the ground, Pele's hair 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 Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments, which can cause skin and eye irritation. More information about how Pele's hair, its hazards, and what to do is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-recent-lava-fountains-highlight-peles-hair-hazards. 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.