The Kīlauea summit eruption which has been active since this past September has paused. Based on the size and duration of recent pauses, the current pause is expected to last several days. All recent lava activity remains confined within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and there are no signs of activity migrating elsewhere on Kīlauea.
Rapid deflationary tilt began on Monday and flattened out Tuesday morning. Volcanic tremor associated with the eruption has virtually ceased and earthquake activity remains below background. The most recent measurement of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate on December 16, 2021, was approximately 1,400 tonnes per day.
Lava has ceased erupting from the western vent although glow is still visible near the vent. The surface of the lake is crusted over following a sequence of partial overturns last night. The lake has seen a total rise of about 69 meters (226 ft) since lava emerged on September 29. The total erupted volume since the beginning of the eruption was estimated to be about 30 million cubic meters (7.8 billion gallons) on November 16.
No unusual activity has been noted in the Kīlauea East Rift Zone. Low rates of ground deformation and seismicity continue along the rift zones. SO2 and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emissions from Puʻuʻōʻō were below instrumental detection levels when last measured on January 7, 2021.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea Volcano.and will continue to issue daily updates until further notice.