Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 12 - March 6, 2025

Settling into a weekly pattern, Kīlauea’s summit eruption produced its 12th episode with lava fountaining from 2:00 pm on Tuesday March 4 to 10:35 am Wednesday March 5, following a 6-day pause. Similar to previous episodes, the latest event began with intermittent eruption of sluggish flows at 7:30 am and 9:33 am, then continuous flows emerged at 12:45pm, followed by 21 hours of lava fountaining. Fountains emerged from both the north and south vents with heights that again peaked around 600 feet or 180 meters, lasting until 8:26 pm when the north vent paused. It resumed briefly the next morning from 8:42 to 9:11 am, adding to extensive lava flows that covered over two-thirds of the inner floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. According to the USGS-HVO, the next episode is expected in the next 5-7 days.

Gas emissions and Pele’s hairs carried by the wind remain the greatest threat to people on-island. Episode 12 was dampened by heavy rain around the time of its onset, and favorable trade winds kept emissions largely away from nearby communities. However, vog has reoccupied the Kona coast following the latest blast of volcanic emissions. SO2 was measured at 35,000 tonnes per day (t/d) during the highest fountaining, at 20,000 t/d during lower fountaining, and around 1,200 t/d during the current pause. Vog hazards are not new to island residents, and the usual precautions and preparations apply, especially for those with respiratory sensitivities – more information at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.

There is still no significant change in Kīlauea’s rift zones during the ongoing summit eruption, 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 highlighted by another magnitude 3 earlier this week, as well as continuing deep quakes in the Pāhala sector.

Maunaloa continues to inflate quietly its established post-eruption pattern, with only minor adjustments evident on monitoring instruments. As usual, we summarize the monitoring signals, imagery, and reports for both volcanoes 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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