Eruption at Kīlauea on the Big Island

The Kīlauea Volcano has been silent of eruptions for about two and half years until last night.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) detected a glow within the Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. About an hour later, the US Geological Survey’s HVO recorded a magnitude-4.4 earthquake located beneath Kīlauea Volcano’s south flank at 10:36 p.m.

HVO has decreased Kīlauea’s volcano alert level to “watch” and its aviation color code to orange, reflecting the less-hazardous nature of the ongoing eruption.

#Kilauea2020 #Lava cascades from a vent in the wall of #Halemaʻumaʻu around midnight on Dec 20. The water lake has boiled away and 3 vents are generating lava flows that are contributing to a growing lava lake. Eruption is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater (#Kīlauea's summit). pic.twitter.com/KdQUnMS7bn

— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 21, 2020

The water lake at the summit of Kīlauea has boiled away and an effusive eruption has commenced, with three vents in the wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater generating lava flows that are contributing to a growing lava lake at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The eruption is currently confined to the Halemaʻumaʻu crater.

HVO is in constant communication with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park as this situation evolves. The eruption is currently taking place entirely within the park.

HVO is in constant communication with the County of Hawai‘i Civil Defense Agency.