(BIVN) – The ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea is paused, although scientists anticipate the cycle of activity will continue with a new lava episode in the next week.
In a Friday update, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Episode 21 is likely to start in the next two to four days.
Episode 20 ended on May 6. Sine the eruption began on December 23, 2024, all eruptive activity has been confined to the summit within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone, the USGS says.
From the USGS’s summit observations provided on Friday:
The current eruption has been characterized by episodic fountaining not seen in any eruptions since the 1983-86 episodic fountains at the beginning of the Puʻuʻōʻō eruption. Fountains and lava flows have erupted from two vents that we refer to as the north vent and south vent. Each of the previous 19 fountaining episodes lasted from a few hours to over a week and have been accompanied by strong deflation of the summit region. Pauses between the fountaining episodes have been marked by an immediate change from deflation to inflation as the magma chamber recharges and repressurizes.
The rapid rebound of recorded UWD and SDH tilt from deflation to inflation at the end of episode 20 indicate that another episode of sustained fountaining is likely.
Data indicate that episode 21 is likely to start in the next 2-4 days. The window will be adjusted as more data become available.
The USGS Volcano Alert Level remains at WATCH.
