USGS Volcano Notice - DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-16T18:04:34+00:00

Overview:

The summit eruption of Kīlauea in Halemaʻumaʻu remains paused. Summit inflation, vent glow, and degassing continues, indicating that another episode is likely. Forecast models indicate that the onset of fountaining episode 50 is likely to begin between June 24 and June 29 with June 25-26 most likely. 

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:

Bright glow and large flames were visible from the south vent in Halemaʻumaʻu overnight, with intermittent glow and flames visible from the north vent. Degassing plumes from both vents are moving toward the southwest this morning. Lava flows that were partly incandescent and were still creeping overnight on June 14-15 are no longer moving or showing significant incandesence.

Low frequency pulses continue this morning, which is typical during the onset of pauses between eruptive episodes. There were three earthquakes within Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) in the past 24 hours, the largest of which was a M2.2 beneath the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu. 

Kīlauea summit deflation totaled 15.5 microradians during episode 49. Once the episode ended, inflation resumed and has since recovered 4.7 microradians of tilt at the summit tiltmeter at Uēkahuna (UWD). 

With the eruption now paused, the sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rate from the summit 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 abrupt switch from deflation to inflation at the end of episode 49 along with glow from the vents indicates that episode 50 fountaining is likely. Several more days of inflationary tilt data are needed to create a robust forecast window, but preliminary estimates suggest another fountaining episode may occur between 24-29 June.

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

Summary of episode 49:

A detailed account of episode 49 is given in the HVO Status Report Issued June 14: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2026-06-15T03:23:25+00:00

• Episode 49 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at the summit of Kīlauea at 9:36 a.m. HST after approximately 5 hours of precursory activity. The episode ended abruptly at 5:05 p.m. HST on June 14, 2026, after 7.5 hours of continuous lava fountaining from the north vent. Lava fountains reached a maximum height of almost 700 ft (210 m) and lava flows covered 40-50% of the crater floor. The eruption is currently paused.
• Most tephra fell within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. There were no reports of tephra fall at public viewing locations, including the Uēkahuna bluff, Keanakākoʻi overlook, and Volcano House. Similarly, there was no ash detected by field crews in nearby communities.

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 southwest 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.