(BIVN) – The ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano is paused, with the next episode of high lava fountaining expected to take place late next week. 

As the new year gets underway, USGS webcams stationed around the summit are showing persistent glow from the south vent in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, and have captured several instances of brief glow from the north vent. 

“Summit inflation is underway and forecasting models suggest the window for lava fountaining episode 40 is between January 8 and 14,” the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported. 

USGS webcam view of the Kīlauea summit on Friday morning

From the USGS HVO update posted on Friday morning:

Summit Observations:

Overnight webcam views showed persistent glow from the Halemaʻumaʻu south vent and several instances of brief glow from the north vent. Low-frequency tremor at rates of one to three events every 5 to 10 minutes continue to be observed in summit seismic and infrasound data.

Since the end of episode 39, the Uēkahuna tiltmeter (UWD) has recorded 17.5 microradians of re-inflation beneath Kīlauea summit.

Volcanic gas emission rates have dropped significantly since the end of episode 39 but probably remain in the range of 1,000 to 5,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) per day, as typically observed during previous eruptive pauses.

Rift Zone Observations:

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation remain very low in the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone. SO2 emissions from the East Rift Zone remain below the detection limit.

Analysis:

The rapid rebound of inflationary tilt and presence of low-level volcanic tremor after episode 39 indicate that another lava fountaining episode is likely to occur. Forecasting models suggest the window for episode 40 is between January 8 and 14. Current inflation rates are significantly slower than those leading up to episode 39, and the forecast window may change as more data are incorporated into the models.

Kīlauea has been erupting episodically since December 23, 2024, primarily from two vents (north and south) in Halema‘uma‘u. Eruptive episodes, which can last up to 12 hours, are separated by pauses that can be as long as over two weeks.

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.