#lava fountaining

After Episode 44 ends, assuming activity is similar to the first 43 episodes, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will lower alert level and aviation color code for Kīlauea one level lower than the current norm, to Advisory and Yellow, respectively.

The improved understanding of how the south flank of Kīlauea behaves is part of the legacy of the 1975 Kalapana earthquake.

Fountaining episodes during the past month and a half broke several records for this eruption, including the highest lava fountains, the most volume of lava erupted and the highest rate of lava effusion for this event, which has now lasted more than 10 months.

Visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park can expect slow movement and incandescence from the spatter deposits and lava flows within the southern part of Kaluapele as they cool and solidify over the coming days.

While the eruptive event lasted just about 8 hours, lava was ejected to peak heights of well more than 1,000 feet Friday (June 20) from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the Big Island volcano.

Kamalani Poepoe and Ruth Gale welcomed during the perfect time to not only better understand eruptions in Hawaiʻi but contribute to ongoing work as the episodic summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano on Big Island continues.

All current and recent eruption activity of Kīlauea is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory remains steadfast and vigilant as lava fountaining episodes continue at the summit of the Big Island’s Kīlauea volcano, maintaining its monitoring and livestreaming of the volcano to document the eruption’s evolution, inform hazard assessments and apprise the public of ongoing volcanic activity.

Several past eruptions of the Big Island volcano were characterized by similar lava fountaining episodes, including at the start of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption in 1983, the start of the Maunaulu eruption in 1969 and the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption.