Kīlauea erupts after more than two years of quiet—twice! Volcano Awareness Month 2022 Geology Update

By Kīlauea January 4, 2022

The first in a series of recorded talks by HVO staff that will be posted on our website throughout the month of January. These talks are presented as part of the Island of Hawai‘i’s annual Volcano Awareness Month, an effort to increase understanding of Hawaiian volcanoes among residents and visitors. Questions? Email askHVO@usgs.gov.

Volcano Awareness Month 2022 Program

Volcano Awareness Month 2022 Geology Update

Also available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSfdhWUZKfQ)

Please also see the recent "Volcano Watch" article on Volcano Awareness Month 2022.

Kīlauea erupts after more than two years of quiet—twice!

Video Transcript

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Following the lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea in 2018, the volcano remained quiet for more than two years. Lava returned to Kīlauea in December 2020, boiling off the water lake that had been present at the base of Halema‘uma‘u crater, and starting a five-month long eruption in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Another ongoing eruption began in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the end of September 2021. These two summit eruptions have showcased lava fountains and fissures, and a dynamic lava lake with islands and a “tilted” surface. Lava from these eruptions has filled Halema‘uma‘u to about half the depth of the 2018 collapse depth. Join USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Carolyn Parcheta as she shares observations, new scientific results, and interpretations of Kīlauea's recent summit eruptions over the past year in this Volcano Awareness Month talk presented on January 4, 2021. Volcano Awareness Month is spearheaded by the USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, in cooperation with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and provides informative and engaging public programs about the science and hazards of Hawaiian volcanoes. Photo caption: Aerial view of the Kīlauea summit eruption at approximately 11:20 a.m. HST on December 21, 2020. Two fissures erupt lava into a lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater.

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