Hawaiian Volcano Update: 1000-Ft Fountain in Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 15 - March 27, 2025

Kīlauea produced the highest lava fountains of its current eruption during its 15th episode, peaking above 1000 feet or 305 meters during its 9-hour fountaining phase. The full episode lasted 31 hours, with the initial onset consisting of cycles of lava rising within the vents and spilling over before receding again, in a process called “gas pistoning”. During the high fountaining, weak winds allowed tephra and Pele’s hairs to be carried into National Park viewing areas and nearby communities, prompting closure of the closest impacted overlooks. Gas emissions and erupted material carried by the wind remain the greatest threat to people on-island. 

Accoring to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, “In the few hours following the end of the episode, about a dozen small seismic events occurred near the summit; following these events, variably weak seismic tremor has returned. Given that seismicity and tremor intensity are behaving somewhat differently after episode 15 compared to after previous episodes, and because there is less than 24 hours of tilt data since the end of the fountaining, the likely window for the start of the next episode remains uncertain at this time.” The pause since episode 14 lasted 6 days, close to the average over the last 10 events. There is still no significant change in Kīlauea’s rift zones during the ongoing summit eruption, with no major seismicity or ground deformation since more than a week before the current eruption. 

Maunaloa continues to inflate quietly its established post-eruption pattern, with only minor adjustments evident on monitoring instruments. As usual, we summarize the monitoring signals, imagery, and reports for both volcanoes available courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, annotating the presentation on screen as we go and discussing live viewer questions. 

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