Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Quakes Slowly Ongoing

Not much has changed on Kīlauea this past week: magma continues to fill the volcano underground, slowly swelling the area around the south caldera and Southwest Rift Connector and triggering small earthquakes, which extend farther down much of the Southwest Rift. While still modest, seismic rates have slightly increased since last week, suggesting a slow ramp-up as part of the recovery from the significant January 31st intrusion.

Ground tilt continues to climb steadily in the south caldera near the Sand Hill monitoring station, where earthquakes are also clustered, as the magma build-up appears to be presently focused in that area. Volcanic gas emissions, the main current threat to residents and visitors, remain relatively low around 85 tonnes of SO2 per day, though are still a concern for sensitive individuals nearby.

Otherwise, Maunaloa remains fairly quiet with few earthquakes and sustained inflation as it recharges with magma, and remains at the lowest USGS warning level. As usual we review the monitoring signals, imagery and reports available courtesy of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, annotating the presentation on screen and discussing live viewer questions as we go.

As a bonus this week, we delve into Kīlauea’s Koa’e fault zone, reviewing the USGS presentation from Volcano Awareness Month in January 2024.

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