(BIVN) – There has been a recent visible change at the Kilauea volcano summit vents over the last week.
A new crack has opened upslope of the south vent, and has been producing intermittent large flames. The south vent itself has been mostly dark.
The north vent is producing consistent glow.
The ongoing eruption remains paused, with another episode of lava fountaining expected in a few days.
What the new crack means for the development of the south vent system – if anything – remains to be seen. For now scientists attribute the large flames to gas pistoning, which punctuates the ongoing tremor signal at the summit about 3 to 5 times per hour.
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the steady inflation of the summit continues, and the forecast window for episode 53 is likely between August 8 and August 12. That window will be adjusted if periods of deflation occur.
For now, the USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kilauea remains at ADVISORY, and the Aviation Color Code is at YELLOW.
