Kīlauea volcano alert level remains at WATCH amid changing summit activity

The Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at WATCH as scientists monitor changing eruptive behavior at the summit. Recent activity includes the opening of a sixth vent on the crater floor between September 14 and 16, which coincided with irregular patterns of summit deflation and inflation.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the summit area is highly pressurized, making it difficult to use traditional inflation models to predict future lava fountain episodes. While previous forecasts relied on the steady re-inflation of the summit magma chamber, recent data shows more unsteady behavior, including periods of deflation during pauses between episodes.

Although earthquake activity has risen slightly around the summit, there is currently no anomalous seismic activity in the East or Southwest Rift zones to suggest activity is moving away from the summit area. Scientists continue to track monitoring data to determine if fountaining has ended or if the new vents will remain active.