Eruption on Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone

Active

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory September 15, 2024

View a video summarizing the recent eruption

View the dynamic eruption map with lava flow extents

The eruption on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, within the closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, has ended.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

S2cam views of the eruption site from the east

PWcam views of the eruption site from the east

Color photograph of volcanic eruptive fissure emitting lava flows and volcanic gas — This photograph of Kīlauea's ongoing middle East Rift Zone eruption was captured during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight during the morning of September 17, 2024. Geologists observed fountaining eruptive fissures and active lava flows on the floor of Nāpau Crater, just downrift (northeast) of the September 15 eruptive fissure. This south-facing view shows the current activity from the north side of Nāpau Crater. USGS photo by A. Ellis.

Timeline of eruption events:

Magma intruded beneath the ground near Makaopuhi Crater—a well-known magma storage region on Kīlauea’s middle East Rift Zone on September 14. HVO published a Status Report alerting the public and partners to the activity, which was accompanied by hundreds of earthquakes and ground deformation.

PHASE 1: a brief eruption occurred west of Nāpau Crater on the middle East Rift Zone between 9 and 10 p.m. HST on September 15. 2024. Infrasound sensors in HVO’s monitoring network recorded strong signals indicative of gas or steam venting. At the same time, HVO’s seismometers recorded weak but sustained low frequency tremor. Although an eruption could not be confirmed visually Sunday night by webcams or satellite thermal data due to heavy rainfall, the geophysical data indicated that an eruption could be taking place. That night, some residents in nearby communities also reported strong sulfur or burning smells. The alert level and aviation color code for Kīlauea is raised to ORANGE/WATCH. During an overflight the next morning, geologists observed that a 480-meter (1600-foot) long fissure had covered 16,500 square meters (4 acres) with about 20,000 cubic meters (about 5 million gallons) of lava. Lava was no longer flowing on the surface as of Monday, but magma was still moving underground as detected by seismometers, tiltmeters and GPS.

Color photograph of eruption — During the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reconnaissance overflight the morning of September 19, geologists observed the fissure west of Nāpau Crater generating a lava flow that travels northeast before cascading into the crater on the remote middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea. This aerial view is looking in a south direction, from north of the eruption site. Nāpau Crater is in the left part of the photo. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

PHASE 2: NOAA GOES satellite thermal imagery and HVO webcam imagery detect that the eruption has resumed around 6 p.m. HST on September 16. Interestingly, no changes were detected in other monitoring datasets. Fissures from this phase of the eruption produced lava fountains and flows that gradually decreased through the night. But activity would soon resume.

PHASE 3: Between 4 and 5 a.m. HST September 17, infrasound signals, a GOES satellite thermal anomaly, and webcam imagery indicated that the eruption had resumed. After sunrise, HVO scientists on a helicopter overflight observed new vents had opened in Nāpau Crater, with several lava fountains approximately 10 meters (yards) high generating lava flows on the floor of Nāpau Crater. This eruptive phase was more vigorous, l longer lived and continued at gradually decreasing levels through Wednesday afternoon. In total, the fissure system has stretched over 1.6 kilometers (1.0 miles) of the East Rift Zone, with lava flows now covering 18 hectares (44 acres).

PHASE 4: At 3:15 p.m. HST, on September 18, new eruptive fissures opened west of Nāpau Crater. A monitoring camera deployed by HVO field crews with permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park recorded “lava falls” cascading down the northwest walls of Nāpau Crater. Vigorous activity continued and by the morning of September 19, about 2/3 of Nāpau Crater floor had been covered with new lava. As of 10 a.m. HST on September 20 morning, phase 4 eruptive activity had paused.

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On September 19, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists were able to capture this video of the fissure vent eruption west of Nāpau Crater on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea. They observed a 150-m-long (nearly 500 feet) fissure west of the crater erupting lava in a curtain of lava 10-20 meters (33-66 feet) high. USGS video by M. Zoeller.

September 19 and 20 eruption reference and thermal map

Color map showing ground temperature in area that recently erupted — A helicopter overflight on September 20, 2024, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected at the middle East Rift Zone eruption site on Kīlauea. This thermal map shows that the eruption at Nāpau Crater had paused this morning, with no fountaining or active lava on the surface. Shortly after these morning thermal images were collected, a small portion of the fissure system briefly reactivated, but soon died out again. As of this afternoon, the eruption was again in a pause. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.

Color map of lava flows and fissure vents — This reference map depicts fissures and lava flows from the Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption on Thursday, September 19, 2024. Map data are current as of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight that occurred between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. Areas in bright red represent new lava flows since the area was last mapped late on September 18, with these new flows now covering most of the floor of Nāpau Crater. In total, the fissure system has stretched over 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) of the East Rift Zone, with the lava flows now covering 63 hectares (156 acres).

Hazards

Far-reaching - VOG

High level of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are emitted during eruptions and can have far-reaching effects downwind. As SO₂ is released from lava, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) that has been observed downwind of eruptive vents. 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.

Near the remote eruption site

Color photograph of erupting lava — This photograph of Kīlauea's ongoing middle East Rift Zone eruption was captured during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight during the morning of September 17, 2024. This photo was taken at 8:11 am H.S.T. Geologists observed fountaining eruptive fissures and active lava flows bisecting the floor of Nāpau Crater, just downrift (northeast) of the September 15 eruptive fissure. This south-facing view shows the current activity from the west side of the crater. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

Additional ground cracking and outbreaks of lava around the active fissures are possible at any time, or existing fissures can be reactivated.
Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope and can be avoided by people. They destroy everything in their paths. If new lava flows cover and burn vegetation and soil, they can ignite natural gas pockets in the subsurface, which can cause methane explosions. These explosions can blast lava fragments up to several meters (yards) away and can be hazardous to observers.
Hazards associated with active or recent lava flows include hot and glassy (sharp) surfaces that can cause serious burns, abrasions, and lacerations upon contact with unprotected or exposed skin; uneven and rough terrain can lead to falls and other injuries; hot temperatures that can cause heat exhaustion or dehydration, or in heavy rain can produce steamy ground-fog that can be acidic, severely limiting visibility and sometimes causing difficulty breathing.
Pele's hair and other lightweight volcanic glass fragments from lava fountains and spattering will fall downwind, dusting the ground within a few hundred meters (yards) of the vent. High winds may waft lighter particles and transport them greater distances downwind. Exposure to these volcanic particles can cause skin and eye irritation.

Additional Information