Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 19 Prequel - May 1, 2025

After a 9-day pause, Kīlauea’s ongoing summit eruption intermittently spilled lava from its north vent fed by small dome fountains starting at 12:20 pm today, with the main phase of higher fountaining associated with episode 19 expected later today or in days to come. With lava contained inside the summit caldera, the main threat to people remains the volcanic emissions. Trade winds are forecast for the next several days, likely reducing the impact of volcanic gas, tephra and Pele’s hair on nearby communities with the onset of increased activity. 

Within the vent, cycles of gas pistoning repeatedly raise the lava for an average of 12 minutes, to an overflowing level for 6 minutes, before it drains back out of sight for an average of 9 minutes. 11 such cycles were recorded at the time of writing, with the first occurring at 11:49 am today, preceding the first overflows. As recently as episode 15, the main fountaining phase was preceded by “over 100 cycles of lava rise and fall, vent overflows, and spatter fountains” that lasted almost 22 hours. However, episode 17 only produced low fountains, while episode 18 had an extended ramp-up lasting over 5 days, making the onset of episode 19 fountaing difficult to forecast. The USGS-HVO reports it “likely to start between now and Sunday or Monday depending on when inflation of the summit resumes.”

Maunaloa continues to inflate quietly its established post-eruption pattern, with only small-magnitude earthquakes and minor adjustments evident on monitoring instruments. The monthly report from the USGS-HVO notes no significant changes. 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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