Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea East Rift Unrest Continues, September 5, 2024

The unrest on Kīlauea’s Upper and Middle East Rift continues into September with moderately elevated earthquake rates, although the situation appears to have temporarily stabilized. Summit tiltmeters show little net change over the past week, while the magma body intruded near Maunaulu shows signs of continued filling, perhaps diverting the magma supply from the summit. Further downrift at Puʻu’ōʻō and beyond, only minor changes in ground tilt have been registered following the wave of ground swelling that swept east from Makaopuhi about a month ago. 

Altogether the situation remains dynamic but confined within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and poses no increased threat to people. Gas emissions are the volcanic hazard of present concern, and while emissions remain relatively low for the volcano around 75 tonnes of SO2 per day, these can still be of concern for sensitive individuals nearby. “Changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for eruption, but there are no signs of imminent eruption at this time,” according to USGS-HVO. Maunaloa volcano continuing to recharge in a normal quiet pattern following its 2022 eruption. 

As a special this week, we revisit the October 1963, March 1965, and December 1965 Kīlauea East Rift eruptions. These are the middle 3 of the 9 Middle East Rift eruptions which characterized the 1960s between the Kapoho and Maunaulu eruptions, following on our ongoing coverage. Combined with Southwest Rift intrusions and the summit eruption of 1967-68, this historical period could inform potential outcomes of our current activity.

As usual, we review the monitoring signals, imagery, and reports 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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