Lava is flowing once again within the summit caldera at Kilauea volcano this morning, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey HVO said this is the fourth eruptive episode of the ongoing summit eruption at Kilauea that began on Dec. 23 within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, interrupted by a series of pauses.

Since about 5:40 a.m. today, HVO said continuous, low-level lava spattering from the north vent culminated in a small lava flow observed at about 9:15 a.m. at Halema‘uma‘u. At around 9:55 a.m., low-level lava fountaining started with more rigorous lava flow activity.

The alert level has been elevated to watch, while the aviation color code has been set to orange.

As of about 11 a.m., HVO said about 10% of the floor of Halema‘uma‘u has been covered with new lava, and based on webcam imagery, the lava fountain appears to be about 200 feet high.

All eruptive activity remains confined to the north vent area, with no unusual activity noted along Kilauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Additionally, USGS said seismicity in the summit region remains low, with only five small earthquakes below 2.0 magnitude having been detected in the past 24 hours.

The overnight webcam showed a continuous glow from the northern vent, and minimal to no glow from the southern vent.

HVO continues to closely monitor Kilauea. A livestream of the Kilauea eruption is available at this link.