(BIVN) – The ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea remains paused, following the abrupt end of Episode 18 on April 22.
“The rapid rebound of UWD and SDH from deflation to inflation at the end of episode 18 along with faint glow from the south vent suggest another episode is very likely,” wrote scientists with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Wednesday. “The pattern of inflation and deflation changed during episode 17 and 18 making determining the likely window for the start of episode 19 fountaining more difficult. Preliminary data indicate that episode 19 is likely to start sometime next week.”
“As more data becomes available, the window will be adjusted,” the USGS HVO wrote.
Scientists also shared this information about Episode 18:
The north and south vents stopped erupting at approximately the same time. The fountaining phase of episode 18 began at 3:20 a.m on April 22 and lasted for just over 10 hours. Lava erupted from both vents with maximum fountains from the south vent reaching over 600 feet (200 meters) high while those from the north vent remained below 200 feet (60 meters high). Approximately 5 million cubic meters were erupted at about 140 cubic meters per second. Lava flows from both vents covered over 60% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu within the southern part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and glow from these flow was visible through (Tuesday) night.
No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
The USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at WATCH.
