(BIVN) – Episode 22 in the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption began Friday morning just before dawn, after some low-level lava activity that began Thursday night. 

Scientists report lava fountains from the north vent reached maximum heights of up to 1,000 feet (300 meters), some of the tallest fountains measured in the episodic eruption that began on December 23, 2024. 

From the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory status report issued at 6:17 a.m. HST:

Episode 22 was preceded by small, sporadic gas-piston events that produced spatter fountains and short lava flows that began at 10:45 p.m. HST on May 15. Five more gas piston overflows occurred in the early morning of May 16 (00:30; 1:00; 1:25; 1:54; 2:43 a.m. HST) until 4:40 a.m. when dome fountains overflowed the vent. By 5:13 sustained high fountaining began. Sustained fountains from the north vent peaked at 800-1000 feet (200-300 meters) high around 6:00 a.m. HST and began to oscillate in height around 328-492 feet (100-150 meters) after this time. Fountains are feeding multiple lava streams at 6:10 a.m. HST. At this time, approximately 30-40% of Halema‘uma‘u has been covered with lava flows.

USGS webcam view of Episode 22 at sunrise on Friday

Inflationary tilt reached just over 7 microradians since the end of the last episode. Seismic tremor began increasing and tilt at UWD switched from inflation to deflation at about 5:13 a.m. HST, about the same time that high fountains were sustained.

The USGS Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code for Kīlauea remain at WATCH/ORANGE. All current activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.