The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory notes inflation is occurring in the caldera south of Halemaʻumaʻu – activity similar to conditions prior to last week’s period of heightened unrest.
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the summit of Kīlauea volcano remains at a high level of inflation and eruptive activity is possible in the coming weeks or months. The unrest is expected to fluctuate as magma moves around the area. Over the past 24 hours, USGS recorded around 86 earthquakes in the Kīlauea summit region. Most of the earthquakes from the seismic swarm south of the caldera are at depths of around 1–3 km (0.6–2 mi) below the surface.
Kīlauea’s most recent eruption stopped on Sept. 16. This was the briefest of the five eruptions that have occurred at the summit of Kīlauea since 2020. The eruption lasted about six days and, like the four eruptions before it, filled in a portion of the summit that collapsed in 2018.
Five years ago, volcanic activity at Kīlauea on the Big Island dramatically changed when magma intruded into the lower East Rift Zone. What happened at Kīlauea in 2018?
Geologists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory study the volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands and biologists at the research center study the ecosystems on them.