Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Quickly Back Under Pressure, June 27, 2024

In the three and a half weeks since Kīlauea’s brief Southwest Rift eruption on June 3, the volcano quickly resumed refilling with magma underground. Satellite radar images and GPS data suggest roughly 4 inches or 10 cm of uplift centered over the south caldera and upper Southwest Rift, roughly less than a mile southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu. Nearby ground tilt has been consistently increasing since the eruption. Closer to the eruption site, two and a half miles southwest, inflation is also ongoing since then, but at more modest yet still significant rates. Gas emissions have reduced to background rates at both the summit and the eruption site in the Southwest Rift, but they still account for sulfur dioxide rates of roughly less than 200 tonnes per day, which could affect sensitive individuals in nearby areas. There is no significant change or increased threat to people on Kīlauea’s Lower East Rift.

Daily earthquake rates also resumed fairly quickly to a state of “moderately elevated unrest” following the eruption on June 3, and consistent with the previous pattern are absent near the eruption site but do include the upper East Rift Connector. This area and the nearby Koaʻe Fault Zone seem to activate in response to pressure at the summit, as has been evident prior to Kīlauea’s most recent eruptions. 

This suggests the volcano is already building to another event, whether it be an intrusion, eruption, or ground motion to accommodate the still-ongoing, healthy supply of magma into its network of underground reservoirs. According to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, “increases in seismicity and/or deformation could result in a new eruptive episode within or near the summit region.” However, “changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for eruption, but there are no signs of an imminent eruption at this time.”

Maunaloa volcano remains relatively quiet, continuing to recharge in the normal pattern with relatively few earthquakes and sustained slow inflation following its 2022 eruption. Minor flank movement on Maunaloa has also been occasionally evident in response to events on Kīlauea, but with no significant long-term effect.

As a special this week, we will look back at this week 6 years ago during the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea. We will discuss lava viewing, surges and pulses from Fissure 8, and the algae bloom with the ocean entry. 

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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