Kīlauea puts on ‘spectacular’ show with lava overturn after eruption Episode 6 ends

Chatter in the livestream of the paused eruption within Kaluapele, the Kīlauea summit caldera, quickly turned from speculation about when a new episode of eruptive activity would begin to what the heck just happened in the middle of the lava lake.

That chatter continued the morning of Jan. 26 until Hawaiian Volcano Observatory issued its daily eruption update just before 10 a.m., when all was revealed.

More than 6.5 billion gallons of lava have filled Halema‘uma‘u Crater since the ongoing summit eruption started Dec. 23, 2024. It’s covered more than 680 acres and is thicker than 72 feet.

Lava flows from Episode 6, the latest eruptive event of the summit eruption that started at 11:28 p.m. Jan. 24 and ended at 12:36 p.m. Jan. 25, again covered nearly half of the crater floor with molten rock.

At 1:58 p.m., just more than an hour into the eruption’s sixth pause, the thin crust that had already formed over the lava lake cracked and broke apart as lava began to boil in an orange rage.

“That is very cool to watch,” chatted R M Burn the afternoon of Jan. 26 in the livestream chat.

“Spectacular,” proclaimed Brenden Snyder Archuleta in a comment on a video of the event shared in the Hawai‘i Tracker group on Facebook.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory explained a massive overturn of erupted lava during drainback into the north vent in the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u, which has been a focus of much of the eruption’s lava fountaining.

The surface level of the lava lake in the center of the crater floor dropped about 1.6 feet at the same time.

Spots of orange glow could still be seen the morning of Jan. 26 on the crater floor as the lava continues to cool.

Strong glow from the north vent indicates magma remains close to the surface, which means another eruptive episode could begin soon.

That’s where chatter among the citizen volcanologist returned by the evening of Jan. 26 in the livestream chat.

“Cmon Pele show us what you got,” chatted Schneib just before 6:30 p.m.

Ricky B prognosticated that it would be about another 8 to 12 hours before inflation at the summit hits a critical point for another eruptive episode to start.

“I think event 7 is about to start in a few hours,” chatted Aria_Kinsley shortly after 6 p.m.

“Lots of offgassing happening,” Schneib replied. “I’d venture to agree with ya.”

As day turned to night, a very strong glow could be seen inside the north vent just after 6:30 p.m. on the livestream, with volcanic gas emissions continuing at a steady rate.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says a new episode could likely begin sometime before the end of this week.

Data by the morning of Jan. 26 from the tiltmeter at Uēkahuna already showed about 1.5 microradians of inflation since the end of Episode 6, which began after recovering only 3 microradians lost during Episode 5.

If inflation rates continue at a similar rate, another eruptive event could begin between Jan. 27 and Jan. 31. In fact, the volcano could be fountaining once again by the time you’re reading this.

You can check for yourself on the livestream or by visiting the Kīlauea page on Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s website.

Also, keep an eye on Big Island Now for all of the latest volcano updates.

Seismicity has remained low at the volcano, with less than 10 small earthquakes beneath the summit and rift zones between Jan. 24 and 25. All eruptive activity occurred and is confined within the summit caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

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

Current hazards include volcanic gas emissions, especially sulfur dioxide that reacts in the atmosphere to create vog, and windblown volcanic glass known as Pele’s hair, both of which can impact the national park and nearby communities.

Vog, of volcanic haze, can have even more far-reaching impacts, as it is blown downwind from the volcano.

Volcanic gas emissions also remain elevated; however, not as much as during active eruptive episodes. Rates were estimated to be near 1,000 tonnes per day.

Light winds were blowing gases to the southwest, away from the summit and communities near Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Pele’s hair that formed during recent eruptive episodes have been found on surfaces throughout the summit area in the national park and surrounding communities.

This eruption is unique among the six since 2020, when eruptive activity returned to the Kīlauea summit after the major collapse event in 2018. It has been marked by episodic lava fountaining not observed during any of the five previous Halema‘uma‘u eruptions.

Lava has fountained and flowed since the eruption began primarily from two vents in the southwest portion of the crater referred to as the north and south vents.

Fountains have ejected molten rock for between about 13 hours and about 8 days, depending on the eruptive episode. Episode 6 was the shortest so far, and Episode 3 — which started the day after Christmas 2024 and helped the Big Island ring in the New Year — has been the longest.

The eruption is now on its sixth pause. Each eruptive phase has been separated by breaks lasting from less than 24 hours to up to 12 days as the magma chamber under the volcano has recharged and repressurized.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai‘i County Civil Defense about eruptive hazards.

Visit the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information.