(BIVN) – The eruption at the summit of Kīlauea remains paused. The USGS Volcano Alert Level is at WATCH.

The most recent eruptive episode, Episode 29, ended on July 20, 2025. It is unclear when the next episode, Episode 30, will occur.

UPDATE – (9:15 a.m.) – Summit tiltmeters recorded 1.5 microradians of deflation since Friday night, which may delay the start of the next episode. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported on Sunday that current models suggest that Episode 30 may start between now and Tuesday.

USGS: This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. As of this posting on August 1, 2025, the eruption has had twenty-nine episodes, with the most recent occurring on July 20. Most of the map data included here were collected during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on July 24, so the provided statistics are reflective of the entire eruption to this point.

UPDATE – (9:20 a.m.) – “Glow was visible from the north vent overnight after re-appearing Thursday evening,” the USGS HVO said on Sunday morning. “The return of glow from the north vent indicates that the shallow blockage has been partially or completely removed.  Incandescence in other parts of the crater remains very low, with weak, intermittent glow from two areas higher up on the eruptive cone. There has been no movement or incandescent breakouts from lava flows on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu. Slow slumping of the eruptive cone is possible as it cools.”

From the USGS HVO update posted on Sunday:

Overall summit inflation, low-level degassing, return of glow in the north vent, and seismic tremor, all suggest that another episode of fountaining is likely. Deflation recorded at the summit over the past two days may push back the projected time window for the next episode. Current inflation models suggest that the next episode may occur between now and Tuesday. If inflation rates change significantly, the modeled window will move to fit the new conditions.

The current eruption has been characterized by episodic lava fountaining not seen in any eruptions since the 1983–86 episodic fountains at the beginning of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption. Lava fountains and flows have erupted from two vents within Halemaʻumaʻu crater that we refer to as the north vent and south vent. Each of the previous fountaining episodes lasted from a few hours to over a week and was accompanied by strong deflation of the summit region. Pauses between the fountaining episodes have been marked by an immediate switch from deflation to inflation as the magma chamber recharges and repressurizes. Fountaining episodes have occurred approximately once per week since the start of the current eruption on December 23, 2024.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and is in contact with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency about eruptive hazards.