#Volcano

Letter comes as President Donald Trump’s administration attempts to close several U.S. Forest Service research facilities, including Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry in Hilo on Big Island.

Since Dec. 23, 2024, the north and south vents within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, inside Kaluapele, the summit caldera, have erupted in 39 lava fountaining episodes.

The rare ongoing eruption within Halema’uma’u Crater inside the summit caldera on Kīlauea began Dec. 23, 2024, and has produced 38 episodes with No. 39 expected any day now.

Lava fountains reached as high as 300 feet at times during the most recent eruptive event of the ongoing episodic summit eruption within the Big Island volcano. Activity ceased abruptly at 12:55 p.m. Aug. 6.

Record-setting lava fountain and plume heights were reached during Episode 23 of the Kīlauea summit caldera eruption. Given increasing airborne hazards associated with each new eruptive episode, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is changing its episode notification types.

Lava fountains reach more than 1,000 feet, volcanic plume soars at least 5,000 feet before most recent phase of eruptive activity — that teased for several days — abruptly ends after just 6 hours and 10 minutes Sunday night.

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.

It took about 10 hours or so, but the vents inside Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island once again did not disappoint.

The newest eruptive phase of the ongoing eruption inside Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park began just before 9:30 a.m. today (March 19), but the signature tall lava fountains the the active phases have become known for are expected later this afternoon.

It’s been 7 days, a whole week, since Episode 13 ended, which seems to be just the right amount of time lately for the Big Island volcano to recharge. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says new lava geysers could erupt in the vents within Halemaʻumaʻu Craterbefore as early as today.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Tuesday afternoon that the most recent eruptive activity of the ongoing eruption in Kaluapele, the volcano’s summit caldera, started at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday with sporadic small lava flows alternating between the south and north vents in the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. A transition to fountaining began at 2 p.m.

Calculating the location and magnitude of an earthquake requires analyzing aspects of data from several seismic stations around the island, such as the maximum amplitudes and arrival times of different seismic waves.

Big Island volcano roars back into action with lava fountains reaching more than 250 feet at times after newest eruptive activity began just before 10 p.m. the night of Feb. 3. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to closely monitor Kīlauea.

People around the world greet the New Year with fireworks and other celebrations. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitors got to greet 2025 with displays of lava fountaining from the southwest part of Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported lava fountaining and flow activity within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater ceased at about 8:40 p.m. Friday. Lava continued to slowly move, with crustal overturns expected in the hours following the pause in eruptive activity.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported the earthquake was part of the ongoing swarm of deep seismicity that has been happening beneath the area of the Kaʻū community since 2019. It had no apparent impact on either Kīlauea of Mauna Loa volcanoes.

There are eyes watching and waiting for those awe-inspiring moments with more nefarious reasons in mind. “Thieves are looking for the right moment to steal your stuff,” said Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park in a recent Facebook post.

If fountaining continues, it is possible heights will increase as more gas-rich lava erupts. However, it is not possible to estimate how high fountains could get or how long fountaining will last.

This is the Big Island volcano’s third eruption this year, and all three happened in different parts of the mountain — the Southwest Rift Zone, East Rift Zone and now the summit caldera. The last time eruptions happened in all of these areas in the same year was 50 years ago!

“Inflation of the summit following the shutdown indicates that a resumption in activity is possible in the coming days, but not certain,” said Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in its daily Kīlauea update just after 9:30 a.m. today.