HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice

Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)

Current Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORY
Previous Volcano Alert Level: WATCH

Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOW
Previous Aviation Color Code: ORANGE


Issued: Saturday, February 3, 2024, 8:10 AM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2024/H53
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii

Volcanic Activity Summary:

Earthquake and ground deformation rates extending from Kīlauea summit southwest along the Koa‘e fault system have decreased significantly over the past 24 hours. The intrusion of magma into this area appears to have slowed, and the likelihood of an eruption has decreased.  

Accordingly, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is lowering the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from WATCH to ADVISORY and the Aviation Color Code from ORANGE to YELLOW.   

In total, more than 3,000 earthquakes were recorded over the past week during this event, which coincided with ground deformation patterns indicative of magma moving from beneath the summit to the southwest under the Koa‘e fault system. More information on this intrusive activity will be available in the Kīlauea daily update published later today. Additional details on this event can be found in previously published official notices:  

• February 2 daily update: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-02-02T20:02:36+00:00  
• February 1 daily update: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-02-01T19:44:10+00:00  
• January 31 daily update: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2024-01-31T10:20:40-08:00  
• January 31 Volcanic Activity Notice:  https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hans-public/notice/DOI-USGS-HVO-2023-10-06T18:55:23-07:00   

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea for signs of renewed activity. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued.  

Hazards are still present on Kīlauea and are described below. Residents and visitors should stay informed and follow County of Hawai‘i and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park guidelines.  

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes 

Recent Observations:
[Volcanic cloud height] N/A
[Other volcanic cloud information] N/A
[Ballistics] N/A
[Lava flow/dome] N/A
[Lava flow] N/A

Remarks:

Hazard Analysis: 

Kīlauea summit eruptive activity over the past several years has occurred at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and on the downdropped block, within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. During Kīlauea summit eruptions, the high level of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—being emitted is the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. Passive volcanic degassing can occur from within Halemaʻumaʻu crater even during periods of no eruptive activity. As SO₂ is released from the summit, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) that has been observed downwind of Kīlauea. Vog creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock. For more information on gas hazards at the summit of Kīlauea, please see: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173017. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org.  

Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes within the area closed to the public. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of the rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since early 2008.   
 
For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards. 
 
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea Volcano. 

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm. 

Contacts:

askHVO@usgs.gov

Next Notice:

Kīlauea updates will be issued daily. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new VAN will be issued. Regularly scheduled updates are posted on the HVO website at https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates  

More Information:

• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm
• Kīlauea activity summary also available by phone: (808) 967-8862
• Kīlauea webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
• Kīlauea photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/photo-and-video-chronology
• Kīlauea lava-flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
• Kīlauea FAQs: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/faqs
• Kīlauea hazards discussion: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards

Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hazards
Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo
Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes