Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano eruption could be 'in future' as earthquake activity increases, officials say
Earthquake activity picked up on Saturday in the south caldera region of the Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawaii. “An eruption could occur in the future with little warning," stats the advisory.
Spectacular footage gives close-up view of Kilauea's eruption in Hawaii
File: This is footage of lava spewing from vents at the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island during its last eruption in September 2023.
KILAUEA, Hawaii – Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano appears to be waking up from its slumber as earthquake activity picked up over the weekend.
"An eruption could occur in the future with little warning," the U.S. Geological Survey noted in the volcano update.
The alert level is still ‘Yellow,’ which means the volcano is exhibiting signs of unrest above known background activity. Over the past two days, the area experienced 132 quakes.
"Kīlauea summit remains pressurized; in recent months unrest has escalated quickly," stated the USGS. "Kīlauea's summit region remains at a high level of inflation."
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File: Tourists hike the Halema'uma'u Crater of Kiluea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Big Island. Hawaii in 2015. Halema'uma'u crater is a pit crater located within the much larger summit caldera of Kilauea in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The roughly circular crater floor is 2,530 feet by 2,950 feet.
(Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group)
The high level of inflation is due to the repressurization of the summit magma reservoir. That has been ongoing since the volcano’s last eruption in Sep. 2023. As magma flows into the reservoir emptied by the eruption, pressure increases and the ground is pushed up and deformed.
Even though the volcano is not erupting, volcanic gas is escaping. Earthquakes could also touch off rockfalls. Authorities have closed off part of Volcano National Park to the public out of caution.
"Levels of volcanic gases (sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide) can remain locally hazardous even when Kīlauea is not erupting. Local concentrations of sulfur dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide may persist in downwind areas, and residents may notice odors of these gases occasionally," the USGS explained. "Significant hazards also remain around Halemaʻumaʻu from crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes."
File: This is the Halema'uma'u Overlook. This is home to pele, the goddess of the volcano which some Hawaiians still revere and deposit flowers in her honor. Sulfur gasses still escape even when the volcano is not erupting.
(Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Native Hawaiians call the Halema'uma'u crater of Kilauea the home of Pele, the Volcano Goddess. Hawaiian tradition mandates that travelers ask permission from Pele to travel through the lands she has created and destroyed, according to the National Park Service.
The mountain is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has produced off-and-on cycles of lava since Sept. 29, 2021. Kilauea is the most active and youngest volcano on the island of Hawaii. The NPS states that Kilauea is translated to "spewing" or "much spreading."
The volcano formed underwater about 280,000 years ago. The shield volcano makes up the surface almost the same size as Hawaii's most populous island, Oahu.
Destructive 2018 eruption
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File: Lava from a Kilauea volcano fissure advances up a residential street in Leilani Estates, on Hawaii's Big Island, on May 27, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii.
( Mario Tama / Getty Images)
The volcano is more than 100 miles from Honolulu, which has a population of about 350,000. An eruption in 2018 destroyed more than 700 homes and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
The last time a significant episode of lava was witnessed coming from the volcano was in September. Video captured a spectacular fountain of lava emerging from the crater, but impacts were limited to the national park.