Kilauea Lava Overflows Surge In Rapid Cycles As Volcano Builds Toward New Eruption

Kīlauea volcano continues to show low-level lava activity at its summit, with rapid cycles of lava overflowing from vents inside Halemaʻumaʻu.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the north vent resumed lava overflows on September 22 after about 10 days of quiet activity. The south vent began overflowing on September 27, with more than 80 short cycles of lava spilling out and draining back into the vent since Monday evening.

The overflows have lasted about two to five minutes, with most pauses lasting five to seven minutes. There have been 165 overflows since September 22.

Both vents continued to glow strongly overnight, producing flames and intermittent bursts of lava. Continuous volcanic tremor remains the dominant seismic signal across the summit.

Scientists said the summit has experienced about 16.8 microradians of inflation since the end of the previous fountain episode. Conditions remain favorable for another fountain event, although scientists said they cannot determine with certainty when Episode 55 will begin.

There was no unusual activity outside the summit. Seismicity and ground deformation remain low in both the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone.