Hawaiian Volcano Update: Kīlauea Summit Eruption’s Episode 30 - August 7, 2025

Episode 30 of Kīlauea’s ongoing, 8-month summit eruption finally arrived around 1 AM on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, following its longest pause of over 15 days. Fountains were vigorously active for about 12 hours, but only reached heights of about 300 feet or 90 meters, marking the second successive episode with lower fountains after a sequence of 7 events reaching over 1000 feet. Uniquely, a new fissure segment broke open south of the main vent complex and climbing a short distance up the southern crater wall, but it did not produce as much lava as the main vents and lasted only the first 3.5 hours. Gas emissions largely blew southwest over a closed portion of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, although weak winds allowed the plume to rise vertically for a short time. Gas impacts in the atmosphere and along the Kona coast may be lingering until the arrival of a larger weather system.

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/. All eruptive activity has been confined 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 minor or localized 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.