Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 25 - June 12, 2025

Another week, another episode of Kīlauea’s summit eruption, its 25th fountaining phase in 25 weeks. Its precursory activity was marked by the first overflows from the north vent on Tuesday, June 10 at 5:54 am, with 5 to 10 gas-pistoning cycles each hour causing lava to spatter, rise, overflow, then drain back out of sight. Continuous output and overflows began at the north vent the next day, Wednesday June 11 at 11:57 am, with lava fountains ramping up from 12:30 to 1 pm, by which point they reached heights of more than 1,000 feet or 305 meters. The south vent produced a smaller fountain less than 165 feet or 50 meters high from 1:30 pm, before activity geared down at both vents from around 3:45 pm until ending completely at 8:08 pm. 

In total, the volcano produced about 8 hours of sustained fountaining following a 6-day pause, spilling roughly 5.3 million cubic meters of lava that hugged the southern edge of the crater all the way across to its eastern side. Lava continues to also inject beneath the crater crust and in localized areas causes it to uplift, coincident with the outpouring of lava from the vent. Fountain heights during episode 24 reached 1,200 feet or 365 meters, and episode 25 visually appeared to match that; once again, the maximum fountain height for the most recent episode is yet to be reported. Cameras once again caught the main burst of gas rising above 14,000 feet into the atmosphere, and combined with dominant trade winds, minimized any impact of volcanic gas and tephra fallout to the closed areas of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, keeping nearby communities and viewing areas clear. Vog and tephra remain the most common hazards for island residents, and the usual precautions and preparations apply, especially for those with respiratory sensitivities – more information at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.

As has been the case following the end of each fountaining phase, the volcano is showing early signs of reinflating with magma, although it is too soon for the USGS-HVO to offer a likely time window for episode 26. All activity is confided to Kīlauea’s summit caldera within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, with no increased lava threat to people. There continue to be no significant changes on either of Kīlauea’s rift zones.

Maunaloa continues to inflate quietly its established post-eruption pattern, with only small-magnitude earthquakes and 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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