Newest Volcano Notice Including Kilauea

Activity Summary: 

• Episode 43 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended at 6:21 p.m. HST on March 10, 2026, and the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption is currently paused.

• Tephra fall outside of the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park along the north rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and into adjacent communities.  Tephra as large as 6 inches was reported from the Volcano Golf Course and fine ash and Peleʻs hair was reported as far away as Hilo.. 

   

Episode 43 Chronology:

Episode 43 lava fountaining from the north and south vents stopped at approximately 6:21 p.m. HST on March 10. The south fountain dropped suddenly at 6:18 p.m. HST and began irregular jetting.  Both vents stopped suddenly at 6:21 p.m. HST after erupting to 500-600 feet (150-200 meters) high for the last hour. Episode 43 ended after 9 hours and 4 minutes with both the north and south vents active for most of the eruption. The highest peak or instantaneous effusion rate of 1000 cubic yards (800 cubic meters) per second occurred around 10:30 a.m. HST on March 10. Episode 43 ended with an average effusion rate of 400 cubic yards per second (300 cubic meters per second). An estimated 16 million cubic yards (12 million cubic meters) of lava erupted and covered about 50% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor. The Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) recorded about 33.7 microradians of deflationary tilt during episode 43.  The total erupted volume since December 2024 is now close to 325 million cubic yards (250 million cubic meters).

The onset of episode 43 fountaining of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption occurred at 9:17 a.m. HST on March 10, 2026 about an hour after the start of precursory eruptions at 8:20 a.m. HST. The start of episode 43 was marked by a sharp increase in tremor and deflationary tilt recorded at the Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD). At first, the north vent grew rapidly, exceeding 100 meters (330 feet) in height by 10:00 a.m. and both north and south vents exceeding 1000 feet (300 meters) by 10:50 a.m. HST.  North and south vent fountain heights peaked shortly after 11:00 a.m. HST, with maximum fountain heights during the episode estimated to be at least 1300 feet (400 meters) from both vents. After about 12:00 p.m. HST, the south vent fountain remained consistently about 10-30 percent higher than the north vent fountains for the majority of the eruption.  By 2:00 p.m. HST the south vent had dropped to 1000 feet (300 meters) high and the north vent about 700 feet (220 meters) high. By 5:00 p.m. fountain heights for the south and north vents had dropped to 700 feet (220 meters) and 600 feet (180 meters) respectively.

The dual fountains produced significant heat and ash, creating a plume that reached10,000 feet (3050 meters) a.s.l. at 10:10 a.m. HST, over 20,000 feet (6100 meters) by 11:30 a.m. HST, and over 25,000 feet (7600 meters) a.s.l. by 10:50 a.m. HST. The maximum plume height exceeded 30,000 feet (9100 meters) a.s.l. by 11:30 a.m. HST. Light southwest winds at lower elevations pushed the plume and tephra fall to the north and east.

This eruption was comparable in size to episodes 41 and 42, but due to light winds produced tephra fallout similar to but not as great as episode 41.  The plume sent tephra falling within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park along the north rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and into adjacent communities.  The heaviest tephra fall was recorded at Uēkahuna overlook (about 4-7 inches of accumulation) where 2-inch tephra began falling at around 10:20 a.m. HST and Kīlauea Military Camp (about 2 inches of accumulation) where 4-5 inch tephra fell starting at about 10:20 a.m. HST.  The Volcano Golf Course community was hardest hit with a blanket of tephra with pieces up to several inches in diameter.

Alert levels were raised from ORANGE / WATCH to RED / WARNING by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at 10:54 a.m. HST reflecting potential hazards to surrounding communities and aviation.  Highway 11 was closed at about 11:10 a.m. HST and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) closed the western overlooks at about 11:20 a.m. HST and evacuated visitors from those areas. The National Weather Service issued an ash fall WARNING at 11:29 a.m. HST following an earlier ash fall advisory. HVNP closed a short time later. Smaller but significant tephra falls occurred in Volcano Village and Mauna Loa estates with lighter tephra as far as Royal Hawaiian Estates, about 6 miles northeast of the vents.  As the eruption progressed, ash and Pele’s hair was reported from Mountain View and finally as far as Hilo, Hawaiian Paradise Park, and the Hamakua Coast just north of Hilo. 

Resources:

• Additional short messages during episodes: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/observatory-messages   
• Timeline of eruptive episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information 
• Three Kīlauea summit livestream videos: https://www.youtube.com/@usgs/streams 
• Report tephra fall: https://hawaiiash.science/report_form 
• See the citizen reported tephra fall map: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory | Tephra Reports Map
• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Information https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
• County of Hawaii Hazard Impact Map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/5865229bcba74020992b372ef18b6f17

Hazard Analysis: 

• Volcanic Gas: water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) are continuously released during an eruption. SO₂ reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind, which may cause respiratory and other problems. 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 the links below:
  • https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/resource-and-guidance-for-volcanic-tephra-fall/  
  • https://vog.ivhhn.org/sites/default/files/PelesHair_FAQs_v2.pdf
• 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 exist around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes. Close to the 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.