Kilauea Volcano Erupts In Spectacular Nighttime Display In Hawaii

This is the moment Kilauea erupts at night, sending a thick orange dome of lava skyward from a vent inside Halemaʻumaʻu crater.

Footage shows the lava dome rising from the north vent before collapsing in a spray of clasts. A second vent throws smaller spatters to the left as molten lava flows brightly across the crater floor.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said precursory overflows restarted at about 10:10 p.m. HST on September 22.

The first surge from the north vent lasted 24 minutes, followed by a second overflow that began at 11:44 p.m. HST.

By just after midnight on September 23, HVO reported a dome fountain about 80 feet (25 meters) high, feeding two flows that reached roughly 500 to 1,000 feet (150–300 meters) northwest and southeast of the vent.

The second flow ended at 12:18 a.m. HST after 34 minutes. Tilt stayed flat and tremor did not change during either overflow.

The activity marked the first north-vent overflows since September 12. HVO said it remains unclear whether the pulse will grow into Episode 55 or stay as low-level overflow.

The alert level remains WATCH with an aviation color code of ORANGE. No unusual activity was reported on the East or Southwest Rift Zones.