USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-05-06T18:12:59+00:00

Overview:

Episode 46 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began yesterday, May 5, at 8:17 a.m. HST and ended yesterday at 5:22 p.m. HST, after 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. The south vent never fountained during this episode, but it displayed periodic gas jetting and flames. The eruption is currently paused. A full summary of episode 46 can be found in a Status Report here: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-05-06T03:29:05+00:00

No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

NOTE: Significant changes in activity between Daily Updates are posted here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages

Summit Observations:

Episode 46 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began yesterday, May 5, at 8:17 a.m. HST and ended yesterday at 5:22 p.m. HST, after 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. Fountaining was preceded by approximately 19 hours of precursory lava overflows from both vents that began on afternoon of May 4. The south vent never fountained during this episode, but it displayed periodic gas jetting and flames. Tephra fell outside of the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park along the north rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera), on Highway 11 between mile markers 30 and 34, and in adjacent communities. Tephra as large as 6 inches (15 centimeters) was observed falling on Highway 11, and fine ash and Peleʻs hair were reported as far away as Mountain View. 

Overnight, glow was visible from both eruptive vents, with the south vent producing occasional flames. Lava flows on the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor remained incandescent and continued to slowly spread towards the east through yesterday and slowing down overnight. Incandescence on the crater floor for several more days.

Seismic tremor continues during the current pause, with bursts of tremor every 1–10 minutes that are typical after the end of fountaining and are likely associated with gas pistoning cycles in the eruptive vents. Earthquake activity at the summit during and after episode 46 has been low, with 18 small earthquakes recorded in the past day.

The Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded about 14.0 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 46. Since the end of fountaining, summit inflation has resumed, with the same tiltmeter recording about 1.4 microradians of inflationary tilt as of this morning. 

Emissions during episode 46 were likely similar to those measured during episode 44, when HVO was able to measure a sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate of 208,000 tonnes per day during lava fountaining. With the eruption now paused, the SO₂ emission rate is likely now varying within a typical range of 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes per day. 

Rift Zone Observations:

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation remain low in the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone. SO₂ emissions from the East Rift Zone remain below the detection limit.

Analysis:

The rapid return of inflationary tilt and strong glow from both Halemaʻumaʻu eruptive vents indicates that another lava fountaining episode is likely. At this time, there is not enough information to develop a detailed forecast window for the next episode.

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically since December 23, 2024, from two vents (north and south) in Halema‘uma‘u. Lava fountaining episodes, which generally last for less than 12 hours, are separated by pauses that can be longer than three weeks.

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

Resources:

NOTE: HVO’s monitoring network is mostly recovered from recent power- and storm-related outages. Several summit stations, including the SDH tiltmeter, will remain offline until we are able to re-establish access across the deep tephra field south of the caldera.

The following links provide more information about the current eruption that began on December 23, 2024:

• Eruption resources, including the most recent map and a timeline of eruption episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information
• Short messages tracking the evolution of the lava fountains and eruptive activity can be found here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream cameras that show eruptive lava fountains are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams
• Summit eruption webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/summit-webcams
• Volcano Watch article on gas pistons: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-so-what-earth-or-least-kilauea-a-gas-piston

Hazards:

This episodic eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

• Volcanic Gas: high levels of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are continually released during an eruption. Emissions can remain locally hazardous in the areas immediately downwind of the vents, even when the vents are not actively erupting. SO₂ reacts in the atmosphere to create vog (volcanic air pollution) downwind. SO₂ and vog may cause respiratory and other problems at high concentrations. Further information on vog can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/
• Tephra: small glassy volcanic fragments—volcanic ash, pumice, scoria, Pele’s hair and reticulite—are created by the lava fountains. A combination of fountaining dynamics and wind conditions determines where tephra fall may occur for any given eruption episode. Larger particles fall near the vents while light particles may be wafted greater distances. These particles may be remobilized during windy conditions following recent eruptive episodes. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to these fragments, which can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. More information and guidance on tephra fall hazards is available at https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/resource-and-guidance-for-volcanic-tephra-fall/
• Lava flows: lava on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera, remains hot and may slowly move in the days immediately following an eruptive episode.

Other significant hazards exist around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes. Close to the eruptive vents, the tephra material on the crater rim is prone to cracking, slumping, and small landslides that sometimes expose hot and molten material within. 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.