An overview of episode 49 of lava fountaining during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u, taken from Kīlauea overlook in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Fountains reached a maximum height of approximately 210 m (688 ft), but because of wind patterns, little to no tephra was deposited in the public viewing areas of the national park. USGS photo by T. Paladino.

Episode 49 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u started at 9:36 a.m. HST on June 14, 2026, and lasted approximately 7.5 hours. Only north vent erupted a lava fountain, which reached a maximum height of about 210 m (688 ft). USGS photo by T. Paladino.

USGS scientists traverse the tephra deposit from the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on June 14, 2026, to collect real-time measurements of lava fountain heights, tephra dispersal, and crater floor coverage during episode 49. At the time this photo was taken in the late afternoon, the lava fountain from the north vent was reaching above the Halema‘uma‘u crater walls at about 80-100 m (260-320 ft). USGS photo by T. Paladino.

During lava fountaining episodes at the summit of Kīlauea, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists use laser rangefinders to estimate high how the lava fountains are reaching above the vents and how far the lava flows have traveled from the vents. Additionally, they document eruption dynamics and record eruptive activity using high-resolution cameras. Here, the episode 49 lava fountain is in the final hours of activity and reaching about 80 meters (262 ft) in height. USGS photo by T. Paladino.

This telephoto view of the north vent lava fountain during episode 49 on June 14. 2026, shows the incandescent lava landing on and illuminating the Halema‘uma‘u crater wall. USGS photo by T. Paladino.

Episode 49 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u ended abruptly by 5:05 p.m. HST on June 14, after 7.5 hours of lava fountaining activity from the north vent. The final waning stage of fountaining activity lasted less than 5 minutes, during which the lava fountain dropped below 60-80 meters (200-260 ft) in height. This photo highlights the final stages of the episode during which low-level activity was interrupted by bursts of higher activity. USGS photo by T. Paladino.