Kīlauea volcano eruption paused ahead of forecasted lava fountaining

The eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano is currently paused, though geologists expect a fifty-third lava fountaining episode to occur between August 13 and August 17. After several days of deflation, summit tiltmeter readings switched to inflation on Tuesday, August 11.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a helicopter overflight of the Halema‘uma‘u crater to monitor the eruptive vents. While the north vent contains a small lava pond and the south vent shows weak glowing, no active lava was visible during the flight. An approaching weather system from the southeast may affect tephra dispersal via wind and rain if it coincides with the next eruptive episode.

Seismicity in the Southwest Rift Zone has returned to normal following a swarm of 18 small earthquakes on Monday. The USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at ADVISORY, and the Aviation Color Code is YELLOW.