'High' lava fountains imminent at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, USGS says
One of the most active volcanoes in the world is gearing up for a spectacular eruption, according to the United States Geological Survey.
A high fountaining phase is imminent at the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, the USGS' Hawaiian Volcano Observatory announced on Thursday, based on conditions at the summit. A persistent vent glow, lava spattering and overflows indicate that the start of episode 36 is close.
The high fountain activity is expected to begin any time between Friday and Tuesday, models show.
Volcanologists initially thought the lava fountaining would begin sooner. They decided to extend the forecast window for the anticipated high lava fountains due to volcanic gas activity at the summit, according to the USGS.
Overflows of degassed lava began flowing from the south vent earlier this week but paused early Thursday morning. "Repeated" overflows from both the north and south vents, however, indicate that the start of episode 36 is imminent.
Episode 35 had previously begun on the night of Oct. 17 and ended early the next morning. During that episode, lava fountains from the south vent reached 1,500 feet, while eruptions from the north vent reached heights of 1,100 feet, according to the USGS.
That episode produced about 13 million cubic yards of lava, with a combined average eruption rate of 500 cubic yards per second.
Episode 35 produced the highest single fountain seen during this eruption so far, the USGS said. So much lava was expelled that it covered nearly two-thirds of the floor of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
The current eruption, which began on Dec. 23, 2024, has created lava fountaining not seen since the 1983–86 episodic fountains at the beginning of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption, according to the USGS.
The episodic eruption has been contained within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, including the Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea's summit caldera.
In recent days, tremor patterns at the summit have been consistent with periods of low tremor that correlate with ponds filling with magma and tremor spikes related to magma drainback, according to the USGS. The pattern changed around 1 a.m. Thursday.
Plumes of gas from both the north and south vents have continued as well, according to volcanologists.
The USGS has issued a volcano watch -- also known as code orange -- to indicate that an eruption is either likely or occurring, but with no, or minor, ash.
High levels of volcanic gas are a major hazard of concern due to the potential for far-reaching impacts downwind, according to the USGS.
Pele's hair -- strands of volcanic glass produced by lava fountaining activity -- can be carried more than 10 miles from the volcano's vent.
Other materials such as tephra, or hot glassy volcanic fragments, as well as volcanic ash, pumice, scoria and reticulite can fall on the ground within 1 to 3 miles of the eruptive vents.
Various volcanic fragments have been known to fall on Highway 11, west of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, according to the USGS.
