(BIVN) – Episode 24 could begin at any time, as precursory activity started within Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea during the morning of June 3.
A USGS Volcanic Activity Notice (VAN) and Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) was issued on Tuesday. It was the first VAN and VONA issued under a procedural change enacted by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory due to “the increased fountain and plume heights during recent episodes and their rapid onset.”
Although a new VAN and VONA were issued, the Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at WATCH/ORANGE.
From the USGS on Tuesday:
Vigorous degassing of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nighttime glow, and intermittent lava spattering in the north vent indicate that magma is close to the surface. Episode 24 is likely to begin today or tomorrow.
In recent episodes of the ongoing eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu, low-level precursory activity has lasted from a few hours to a few days. This activity can include spatter from north and/or south vents, small dome fountains, and lava overflowing from one or both vents. At the start of previous episodes, precursory activity has rapidly escalated into sustained high fountaining over minutes to tens of minutes.
The tiltmeter at Uēkahuna (UWD) has recorded just over 12 microradians of inflationary tilt since the end of the last episode. Low level seismic tremor continues beneath Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
Most episodes of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, have continued for around a day or less and have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting generally at least several days.
The summit vents appear quiet as of sunrise on Wednesday.
