image from interactive USGS map, captured on October 6, showing the location of the recent earthquakes south of the Kilauea summit caldera.

(BIVN) – Signs of elevated unrest continue at the summit area of Kīlauea volcano, in an area just south of the caldera within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Kilauea is not erupting and the USGS Volcano Alert Level remains at ADVISORY. No unusual activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

From the Friday morning update from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:

Summit Observations: Inflationary tilt is continuing at a slightly slower rate in the area just south of the summit caldera. Inflation at the summit of Kīlauea remains close to its highest level in over 5 years and has nearly returned to the level seen just before the last eruption on September 10th. Seismicity beneath Kīlauea summit region, which began October 4, increased with about 320 earthquakes occurring in the last 24 hours. Most of the earthquakes are from the ongoing seismic swarm in a region south of the caldera at depths of around 2.5–3.5 km (1.5–2 mi) below the surface. The trend of the seismic activity parallels, but is slightly south of the December 1974 eruption vents. From 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. this morning, October 6, strong seismicity was recorded at the northeast end of this trend at the southern boundary of the caldera. Seismicity in the area decreased around 6 a.m., but still remains elevated. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rates remain low and were measured at a rate of about 150 tonnes per day on September 25.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is closely monitoring Kīlauea volcano, and will issue daily updates for as long as the elevated unrest continues.