This photo, taken around 4:00 a.m. HST from the Volcano House Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, shows the new eruption at Kaluapele (the summit caldera). The eruption began at 2:20 a.m. HST this morning, following a brief but strong increase in earthquake activity and ground deformation patterns about half an hour before the eruption began. USGS photo by P. Dotray.

(BIVN) – A new eruption began early Monday morning at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Currently all activities are limited to the summit caldera. Scientists say the eruption has stabilized in the crater and there is no immediate threat to infrastructure

The USGS alert level for the volcano was raised to WARNING and then to GUARD, and the aviation color code was raised to RED and then set to ORANGE.

From the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:

The eruption began at about 2:20 a.m. and vents continue to erupt on the floor of the southwestern part of the summit caldera. The main hazard of current concern is high concentrations of volcanic gas, which may have widespread effects downwind (generally southwest) of the peak. The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles reaches heights of 6,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level (2,000 to 4,000 feet above ground level) and winds transport it southwest, within the closed area of ​​Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

At 4:30 a.m., lava fountains as high as 80 meters (262 feet) were observed. Molten material, including lava bombs, is ejected from vents in the caldera floor to the western edge of the caldera in the closed area of ​​Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The dangers of volcanic gas and ejecta west of the erupting vents underscore the danger of this closed area of ​​Kīlauea Peak. By 5:30 a.m. lava covered an estimated 400 hectares of caldera floor.

Another look at the new eruption in Kīlauea’s summit caldera, Kaluapele, which began around 2:20 a.m. HST this morning, December 23, 2024. Lava erupts from vents in the western part of the caldera wall, feeding lava flows that cover the Halemaʻumaʻu crater area (approximately 1 kilometer in diameter). USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

In the half hour before the eruption, the summit experienced a sudden increase in earthquakes and inflation. Until the outbreak began, the USGS alert level for Kīlauea was ADVISORY. In the days leading up to the eruption, scientists had resumed providing daily updates on the volcano due to a general increase in earthquakes and ground deformation, but an eruption did not appear imminent.

“This started pretty quickly, we had normal background activity most of the night,” said HVO lead scientist Ken Hon. “Around 1:30 a.m. this morning the seismicity really picked up, and by 2 a.m. we could see that we measured seismicity associated with a crack ruptured by magma as it moved to the surface beneath Halemaʻumaʻu. ”

“This is one of the shorter lead times we’ve had for an eruption,” Hon said. “This is all close to the summit, the lead time is very short because the magma chamber is only 1 or 2 kilometers below the surface. So less than a mile below the surface of the volcano. And it doesn’t take long for these cracks to propagate, open to the surface and allow magma to escape.”

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is open to the public. A few days before the eruption began, the National Park Service was already warning visitors about an influx of crowds and traffic in the park due to the holiday season, as well as a two-year construction project underway in the park.

The National Weather Service also issued a warning that very light ashfall is expected near Kīlauea Volcano until at least 6 p.m. HST.