Ongoing inflation and crater floor uplift at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō

Over the past month, HVO monitoring instruments have recorded a sharp inflationary trend at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō (see https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/monitoring_deformation.html, scroll to bottom of page). Accompanying this inflation, the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater has been uplifted, with lava intermittently spilling onto the crater floor. Brighter colors in these thermal images indicate the recent lava flows. This animated GIF shows the uplift between April 9 and April 13 (click on image to see the animation), with the floor being uplifted several meters (yards). Similar episodes of inflation and crater floor uplift in June 2014 and May 2016 resulted in lava erupting from new vents on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The current activity is similar to these previous patterns, indicating an increased likelihood—but not a guarantee—of possible ventchanges at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.