(BIVN) – Episode 10 in the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano began on Wednesday evening.
Low level fountaining was observed within Halemaʻumaʻu caldera at 8:22 p.m. HST on February 19.
The USGS Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code for Kīlauea remain at WATCH/ORANGE. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
From an update provided by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at 9:10 p.m. HST:
Fountains from the north vent are 300-400 feet (90-125 meters) high and feeding multiple lava streams between 8:22 and 9:05 p.m. HST. Less than 10% of Halemaʻumaʻu is current covered with lava flows as of 8:45 p.m.
Inflationary tilt reached just over 10 microradians since the end of the last episode. Seismic tremor began increasing and tilt at UWD switched from inflation to deflation at about 8:22 p.m. HST, about the same time lava flows began erupting onto the crater floor.
Each episode of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, has continued for 13 hours to 8 days and episodes have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting a less than 24 hours to 12 days.
The scientists also noted that no changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
