Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption Begins Episode 4 - January 16, 2025

After 12 days of pause, Kīlauea’s summit eruption resumed on the morning of January 15, fully contained within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and posing no increased lava threat to people. The beginning phases of each episode are known to produce large volumes of gas, which do pose a risk to nearby populations when they are downwind. Vog hazards are not new to island residents, and the usual precautions and preparations apply – especially for those with respiratory sensitivities. Pele’s hair, thin strands of wind-carried volcanic glass, is also reported falling in nearby communities, which beyond a respiratory risk can also collect on surfaces and produce small cuts and splinters.

A few days prior to the restart, Kīlaueaʻs recent recent vents continued to glow as a result of lava within, and near the surface. Then the vents began to spatter small amounts of lava, and then produce small lava flows, all as the ground-tilt monitors on the volcano showed inflation in excess of what produced the restart of the 2nd and 3rd episodes. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory suggested the window for the eruption to restart had begun, and a few days later the lava fountains re-emerged and proved them correct. 

Based on the previous phases, lava may continue to spread from near the vents in the southwest across the inner crater floor to the east, while fountain heights may decrease over time and eventually shut off. This eruption’s phases 1 and 2 both lasted around 15 hours, while phase 3 lasted over 8 days before the most recent pause. Since fountains began, the ground-tilt monitors have shown deflation of the volcano, tracking the release of pressure over the ongoing episode.

In a special segment this week, we broadcast live from USGS-HVO’s Volcano Awareness Month presentation on “The Art and Science of Geologic Mapping” by geologist Drew Downs. We will abbreviate our first segment into our first hour, with the USGS presentation during the second hour.

Maunaloa continues to inflate quietly its established post-eruption pattern, with nothing new to report. As usual, we summarize 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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