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COURTESY USGS
Lava fountaining returned to Halemaumau crater on Hawaii island today for the first time since Aug. 25.
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COURTESY USGS
Lava fountaining returned to Halemaumau crater on Hawaii island today for the first time since Aug. 25.
UPDATE: 9:45 a.m.
Episode 55 of lava fountaining in the ongoing Kilauea eruption ended abruptly this morning after nearly six hours, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
HVO scientists said the fountaining in Halemaumau crater ended at 9:03 a.m. after starting at 3:19 a.m.
As with the previous 54 fountaining episodes, all eruptive vents and lava flows are confined to Halemaumau.
Scientists said tephra from volcanic ash clouds fell mostly within 3 miles of the vents, while lighter ash and Pele’s Hair may remain suspended for farther distances.
They said fountaining is unlikely to return to the crater for the next few weeks.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Lava fountaining returned to the summit of Kilauea volcano overnight for the first time since late August,.
At 3:19 p.m. today, a large lava fountain erupted from the north vent within Halemaumau crater, reaching a maximum height of 720 feet by about 5 a.m., according to scientists with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
“The plume from this eruption is reaching about 25,000 feet above sea level,” officials said in a news release. “Winds are blowing from the north-northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the south-southwest direction from Halemaumau. Current radar images show significant tephra within the plume up to only 8,000 above sea level.”
The on-again, off-again Kilauea eruption began on Dec. 23, 2024, and lava fountaining had been occurring regularly every few weeks with the last episode on Aug. 25.
However, the magma underneath the summit surface shifted and in mid-September several new vents near the northwest wall of Halemaumau crater emerged, generating small lava flows on the crater floor but no high fountaining, according to HVO scientists
The return of fountaining today marks episode 55 of the ongoing eruption and, as with the previous episodes, all lava activity is contained to the summit crater.