USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2025-04-22T17:57:29+00:00

Activity Summary:

Episode 18 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption resumed with lava overflowing the south vent at 3:20 a.m. HST on April 22 followed by the onset of fountaining from both vents at 3:30 a.m. HST. Lava began overflowing the north vent at 3:47 a.m. HST. Fountains are currently over 650 feet (200 meters) high at the south vent and over 160 feet (50 meters) at the north vent. Both fountains are feeding a vigorous flow on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Lava has currently covered over 35% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Strong deflation accompanied the onset of lava flows at 3:20 a.m. and tremor increased with the onset of fountaining from both vents. High fountains are expected to continue until an inflationary tilt signal returns. Winds are weak and Pele’s hair is falling around the summit region and in Volcano Village.

Kīlauea's current eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) began on December 23, 2024. There have now been 18 episodes separated by pauses in activity. All eruptive activity remains within Hawaiʻi 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) and tephra that have impacted Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and nearby communities.

Summit Observations:

Episode 18 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption resumed with lava overflowing the south vent at 3:20 a.m. HST on April 22 followed by the onset of fountaining from both vents at 3:30 a.m. HST. Lava began overflowing the north vent at 3:47 a.m. HST. Fountains are currently over 650 feet (200 meters) high at the south vent and over 160 feet (50 meters) at the north vent. Both fountains are feeding a vigorous flow on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Lava has currently covered over 35% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Strong deflation accompanied the onset of lava flows at 3:20 a.m. and tremor increased with the onset of fountaining from both vents.

Prior to the onset of high fountaining, intermittent spattering began at the north vent around 1:30 a.m. HST and increased in frequency until 3:20 a.m. HST when lava began erupting. Additional information on the resumption of episode 18 can be found in the April 20 Kīlauea update and the April 21 Kīlauea update and the April 22 Status Report.

The UWD and SDH tiltmeters continued to show inflationary signals until lava fountaining began for episode 18. Since fountaining started, UWD has measured over 10 microradians of deflationary tilt. High fountains are expected to continue until an inflationary tilt signal returns.

Volcanic gas emissions remain elevated and at heightened levels due to lava fountaining. The last sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate measured on April 10 was approximately 1,200 tonnes per day. However, a typical sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate during earlier fountaining episodes is 50,000 tonnes per day. Winds are weak and Pele’s hair is falling around the summit region and in Volcano Village. The plume height is over 20,000 feet (6,200 m) above ground level.  High level winds are dispersing SO2 to the northeast and east of Kīlaueaʻs summit.

Strands of volcanic glass known as Pele’s hair from previous episodes are still present throughout the summit area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and surrounding communities and can be remobilized by wind.

• Timeline of eruption episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 
• Two Kīlauea summit livestream videos are available here: Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii (West Halemaʻumaʻu crater) v1cam and Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii (East Halemaʻumaʻu crater)v2cam
• 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 has been characterized 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. Each of the previous 17 fountaining episodes lasted from a few hours to over a week and have 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.

Based upon prior cycles of fountaining and deflation, episode 18 fountaining is likely to be less than 24 hours long.

• 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.

General Updates: 

The power system that supplies power to the KWcam webcam, the F1cam thermal camera, and the laser rangefinder sustained damage during the high fountaining on March 26, 2025. Both cameras and the rangefinder are currently offline. Other HVO webcams are still functioning and online.

Hazards: 

This episodic eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawaiʻi 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. SO₂ and vog may cause respiratory and other problems at high concentrations. Further information on vog can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/

Additional hazards include Pele's hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains. Pele's hair is 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 deposition 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.