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June 2024 Kīlauea Southwest Rift Zone Eruption

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By Kīlauea June 27, 2024

Kīlauea erupted briefly on Monday, June 3, southwest of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) within the closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

June 2, 2024

Emplacement of a magmatic dike began just after 12:00 p.m. HST on June 2, 2024, beneath the area of Kaluapele south of Halemaʻumaʻu. This activity prompted HVO to publish a Status Report indicating that although an eruption didn't appear imminent at that time, conditions could change quickly.

Seismicity continued to intensify beneath this area and HVO raised the alert levels from Advisory/Yellow to Watch/Orange as the dike shallowed.  Around 8:00 p.m. on June 2 a strong deflation signal on the Sand Hill tiltmeter indicated that a significant mass of magma moved to another location. After the deflationary event, seismicity declined significantly, which HVO noted in another Status Report. 

June 3, 2024

Color image of glow from eruption in night sky
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Data from USGS webcams and Keck Observatory webcams determined that the eruption began at 12:30 a.m. June 3. 

Effusion at the vents remained active until approximately 9:00 a.m., though lava flows were moving sluggishly until about noon on June 3. Numerous large ground cracks formed in the vicinity of the eruption extending westward to within 540 yards (500 meters) of Maunaiki. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rates of 12,000-15,000 t/d were measured on June 3, and 5,500 t/d on June 4. 

The most recent eruption in this area occurred in December 1974. The 1974 eruption lasted 6 hours and erupted 13 million cubic yards (10 million cubic meters) of lava that covered about 3 square miles (7 square kilometers). In contrast, the June 3, 2024, eruption lasted 8.5 hours but only erupted about 1% of the volume and covered about 100 acres (400,000 square meters), or less than a quarter of a square mile. The pasty surface textures of the erupted lava and the small amount of lava erupted suggests that this lava could have been first emplaced during the January 31, 2024, intrusive event and cooled prior to being forced to the surface by the new dike. Forthcoming geochemical analyses will help reveal the magma storage and transport patterns before the eruption. 

Although the eruption has ended, renewed pulses of seismicity and deformation could result in new eruptive episodes within the area or elsewhere in the summit region.

lava erupting from a fissure
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Color map of recent lava flows
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This reference map depicts the June 3, 2024, eruption along Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone. The lava flows are shown in pink, covering about 99 acres (40 hectares); this number represents a slight increase from that reported Monday, June 3, due to minor flow expansion in the hours following that morning's helicopter overflight. Since midday Monday, all four eruptive fissures—marked in yellow—have been inactive. The flows erupted from these fissures are extremely thin, with ground mapping suggesting that the vast majority of the lava is less than 1 meter (1 yard) thick. Therefore, the total erupted volume is estimated to have been between 100,000 and 400,000 cubic meters (26 million and 106 million gallons).
Color images of temperatures of new lava flows
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
These two thermal maps were constructed from images captured during USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflights on June 3, 2024, at 6:00 a.m. HST (left) and June 4, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. HST (right). Covering the same extent and using the same thermal color scale, you may notice slight expansion of lava flows to the south following the first overflight. However, by the time of the second overflight, eruptive activity had paused and the flows had begun to cool.

Photo and Video Chronology

Color image showing deformation at summit of volcano
Color photograph of fragmented lava samples
Color photograph of volcanic spatter bomb
Color photograph of lava flow and volcanic gas
Color photograph of lava flows from fissure
Color photograph of field engineer at distant volcano monitoring station
Color photograph of gound cracks on ash covered surface
Color photograph of fresh lava flows
Color photograph of ground cracks
Color map showing ground deformation on volcano
Color photograph of distant volcanic gas plume
Color photograph of scientist collecting lava samples
Color image of glow from eruption in night sky
Color photograph of scientists documenting eruption
Color photograph of scientist examining rock sample
A geologist in a bright orange shirt walks beside a newly-erupted lava flow, which barely reaches the height of their waist
A female scientist standing next to a boxy instrument on a tripod, taking measurements of a gas plume in the distance
The shadows of four field scientists stretch out towards a distant rainbow arcing into a gray cloud of volcanic gas
A tiny helicopter hovers over a fissure eruption that is emitting glowing molten lava and large clouds of volcanic gases
A distant crack in a field of lava emits glowing orange fountains of molten rock and plumes of white and gray clouds
A shiny black lava flow is bordered by angular, frothy fragments of glassy rock scattered over a gravelly landscape
Ground cracks spider into the distance on a gravelly black landscape. In the background, bigger cracks emit plumes of gas
Bright orange lava fountains spew from long cracks in an older lava flow, shrouded in plumes of steam and volcanic gas
Color photograph of scientist collecting spatter samples
Color photograph of scientist deploying webcam
lava erupting from a fissure
lava erupting from a fissure
Color photograph of the milky way and eruption plume
Color photograph of eruption plume and stars
Color image of eruption plume, with road in foreground
orange glow of lava in the distance at night
orange glow of lava in the distance in the dark
Color photograph of eruption glow at night and the silhouette of trees in the foreground
orange glow of lava from Kīlauea seen in the dark
Color image of eruption glow and night sky
lava erupting from a fissure

Kīlauea erupted briefly on Monday, June 3, southwest of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) within the closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

June 2, 2024

Emplacement of a magmatic dike began just after 12:00 p.m. HST on June 2, 2024, beneath the area of Kaluapele south of Halemaʻumaʻu. This activity prompted HVO to publish a Status Report indicating that although an eruption didn't appear imminent at that time, conditions could change quickly.

Seismicity continued to intensify beneath this area and HVO raised the alert levels from Advisory/Yellow to Watch/Orange as the dike shallowed.  Around 8:00 p.m. on June 2 a strong deflation signal on the Sand Hill tiltmeter indicated that a significant mass of magma moved to another location. After the deflationary event, seismicity declined significantly, which HVO noted in another Status Report. 

June 3, 2024

Color image of glow from eruption in night sky
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Data from USGS webcams and Keck Observatory webcams determined that the eruption began at 12:30 a.m. June 3. 

Effusion at the vents remained active until approximately 9:00 a.m., though lava flows were moving sluggishly until about noon on June 3. Numerous large ground cracks formed in the vicinity of the eruption extending westward to within 540 yards (500 meters) of Maunaiki. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rates of 12,000-15,000 t/d were measured on June 3, and 5,500 t/d on June 4. 

The most recent eruption in this area occurred in December 1974. The 1974 eruption lasted 6 hours and erupted 13 million cubic yards (10 million cubic meters) of lava that covered about 3 square miles (7 square kilometers). In contrast, the June 3, 2024, eruption lasted 8.5 hours but only erupted about 1% of the volume and covered about 100 acres (400,000 square meters), or less than a quarter of a square mile. The pasty surface textures of the erupted lava and the small amount of lava erupted suggests that this lava could have been first emplaced during the January 31, 2024, intrusive event and cooled prior to being forced to the surface by the new dike. Forthcoming geochemical analyses will help reveal the magma storage and transport patterns before the eruption. 

Although the eruption has ended, renewed pulses of seismicity and deformation could result in new eruptive episodes within the area or elsewhere in the summit region.

lava erupting from a fissure
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Color map of recent lava flows
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This reference map depicts the June 3, 2024, eruption along Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone. The lava flows are shown in pink, covering about 99 acres (40 hectares); this number represents a slight increase from that reported Monday, June 3, due to minor flow expansion in the hours following that morning's helicopter overflight. Since midday Monday, all four eruptive fissures—marked in yellow—have been inactive. The flows erupted from these fissures are extremely thin, with ground mapping suggesting that the vast majority of the lava is less than 1 meter (1 yard) thick. Therefore, the total erupted volume is estimated to have been between 100,000 and 400,000 cubic meters (26 million and 106 million gallons).
Color images of temperatures of new lava flows
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
These two thermal maps were constructed from images captured during USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflights on June 3, 2024, at 6:00 a.m. HST (left) and June 4, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. HST (right). Covering the same extent and using the same thermal color scale, you may notice slight expansion of lava flows to the south following the first overflight. However, by the time of the second overflight, eruptive activity had paused and the flows had begun to cool.

Photo and Video Chronology

Color image showing deformation at summit of volcano
Color photograph of fragmented lava samples
Color photograph of volcanic spatter bomb
Color photograph of lava flow and volcanic gas
Color photograph of lava flows from fissure
Color photograph of field engineer at distant volcano monitoring station
Color photograph of gound cracks on ash covered surface
Color photograph of fresh lava flows
Color photograph of ground cracks
Color map showing ground deformation on volcano
Color photograph of distant volcanic gas plume
Color photograph of scientist collecting lava samples
Color image of glow from eruption in night sky
Color photograph of scientists documenting eruption
Color photograph of scientist examining rock sample
A geologist in a bright orange shirt walks beside a newly-erupted lava flow, which barely reaches the height of their waist
A female scientist standing next to a boxy instrument on a tripod, taking measurements of a gas plume in the distance
The shadows of four field scientists stretch out towards a distant rainbow arcing into a gray cloud of volcanic gas
A tiny helicopter hovers over a fissure eruption that is emitting glowing molten lava and large clouds of volcanic gases
A distant crack in a field of lava emits glowing orange fountains of molten rock and plumes of white and gray clouds
A shiny black lava flow is bordered by angular, frothy fragments of glassy rock scattered over a gravelly landscape
Ground cracks spider into the distance on a gravelly black landscape. In the background, bigger cracks emit plumes of gas
Bright orange lava fountains spew from long cracks in an older lava flow, shrouded in plumes of steam and volcanic gas
Color photograph of scientist collecting spatter samples
Color photograph of scientist deploying webcam
lava erupting from a fissure
lava erupting from a fissure
Color photograph of the milky way and eruption plume
Color photograph of eruption plume and stars
Color image of eruption plume, with road in foreground
orange glow of lava in the distance at night
orange glow of lava in the distance in the dark
Color photograph of eruption glow at night and the silhouette of trees in the foreground
orange glow of lava from Kīlauea seen in the dark
Color image of eruption glow and night sky
lava erupting from a fissure
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