(BIVN) – Episode 27 in the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kilauea drew large crowds to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Sunday. The eruption began that morning and lasted nearly 11 hours, with all activity confined to the summit caldera. 

Lava fountains reached heights of at least 1,100 feet (340 meters) which were not as high as the fountains measured in the previous episode. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was able to restore some key equipment just before the episode got underway, including a thermal camera that was just brought back online. 

USGS thermal cam captures lava flows at Kīlauea

Approximately 1.5 billion gallons of lava erupted during the episode. Scientists say this is equivalent to 7.7 million cubic yards – or 5.9 million cubic meters – enough to fill nearly 2,500 Olympic swimming pools. 

The lava flows covered 80% percent of the crater floor, and continued to slowly move and glow even after the fountains stopped. The lava will cool and solidify over the coming days. 

Scientists say the eruptive plume from the episode reached at least 20,000 feet – or 6,000 meters. The plume is different from the lava fountain; it usually contains high levels of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. 

A churning plume was seen on this USGS webcam on Sunday

Light and variable winds combined with fountain thermal effects, causing the plume to move around within the crater. At times, it appeared to slowly churn like a tornado, with tephra and ash swirling around the caldera. 

The eruption is now paused. Inflation continues, and seismic tremor has returned to slightly elevated levels, suggesting another episode is possible. Scientists say more time and data are needed before a forecast window can be made for Episode 28. 

For now, the USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at WATCH.