Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 10 - February 20, 2025

While most of the past week was quiet atop Kīlauea, the summit eruption’s episode 10 started at 8:23 pm last night and ended at 9:18 am this morning, lasting under 13 hours.  Lava fountains once again aimed for the upper crater rim, peaking near 400 feet or 125 meters high and covering 75% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor with the resulting lava flows. Only the north vent activated during this episode, while the south vent glowed consistently but did not put out lava. 

Since the episode ended, the volcano shows the same evidence of recharge on monitoring signals seen during previous pauses. While it’s still too early to estimate the next activation with any confidence, the relatively rapid inflation rate of 1 microradian over the first 6 hours of this pause would suggest it comes sooner than later. The 4 previous episodes under 15 hours were followed by pauses of 16 hours, 1 day, 2 days, and 2 days, while the 5 episodes lasting 16 hours or longer were followed by pauses of 4, 6, 6, 7, and 8.5 days.

Similar to episode 9, the trade winds appear to have caught the gas emissions from episode 10 and carried them on their usual route over Kaʻū toward the south Kona coast and offshore, with reductions in air quality in that area evident on the PurpleAir network. Unlike several previous episodes, vog did not appear to impact the Hilo side of the island, perhaps because episode 10 tied episode 6 for the shortest duration thus far, limiting the high-volume output from the volcano. 

SO2 emissions rates are estimated around 10,000 tonnes per day during eruptions and around 1,000 tonnes per day during the pauses, a significant increase above our already high (for people) background emission levels. Thus the vog may continue to pose the greatest hazard to people, especially those with respiratory sensitivities. Higher lava fountains also bring the continued hazard of Pele’s hairs for nearby viewers and communities. Vog hazards are not new to island residents, and the usual precautions and preparations apply – more information at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.

The ongoing summit eruption, even with its episodes and pauses, continues to relieve stresses on Kīlauea’s rift zones, which have remained relatively quiet with no major seismicity or ground deformation since more than a week before the current eruption. The volcano’s south flank still shows background seismicity, as well as continuing deep quakes in the Pāhala sector.

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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