Episode 2 of the summit eruption of Kīlauea paused on Christmas morning.

The vigorous fountaining from vents in the southwest corner of Halemaʻmaʻu crater rapidly died down over a few minutes just before 11:00 a.m. Lava began draining back into the vent at nearly the same time that summit tiltmeters began recording a change from deflation to inflation.  Seismic tremor also decreased markedly at the same time.  The pattern was similar but more abrupt than the onset of the pause on Monday, December 23, that occurred between 3 and 4 p.m.

Episode 2 lasted a little over 24 hours, which is about twice the duration of the first eruptive episode. Prior summit eruptions have lasted days to weeks and there is a high probability that this eruption will resume if the summit repressurizes over the coming days.

Kīlauea’s Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remains at WATCH/ORANGE.

All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. No changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

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Photo credit: USGS