HONOLULU (KHON2) — Lava is once again lighting up the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, as the U.S. Geological Survey reports a new phase of sustained lava fountaining that began Tuesday evening.
According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), Episode 20 of the ongoing eruption kicked off at 5:28 p.m. Tuesday, when intermittent gas bursts from the volcano’s north vent suddenly transitioned into continuous, vigorous fountains of lava reaching more than 500 feet high.
The lava is now flowing rapidly across the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, even pouring over the south vent, which remains quiet for now.
This latest activity was accompanied by a quick shift in ground movement — from inflation to deflation — and a spike in volcanic tremor. Scientists say the ground at the summit tilted by about 8 microradians, a sign of significant underground changes.
Prior to the eruption, low-level activity had been building for nearly 31 hours, including small dome fountains and slow-moving flows from both vents.
This marks the 20th eruptive episode at Kīlauea since December 23, 2024. These episodes have varied in length — some lasting just half a day, others continuing for up to a week — with brief pauses in between. All recent eruptions have remained confined within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
There are no signs of volcanic activity spreading to Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone at this time, according to HVO.
The volcano’s alert level remains at WATCH, and the aviation color code is ORANGE, indicating that eruptive activity is ongoing with limited hazards.
A live video feed of Kīlauea’s summit is available on the USGS YouTube channel, and a full timeline of recent episodes can be found on the USGS website.
HVO will provide another update Wednesday morning unless significant changes occur overnight.