‘Episode 17’ of Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruption has ended

Scientists said “episode 17” of Kilauea Volcano’s ongoing eruption ended at 9:45 a.m. today after low fountaining stopped at the south vent.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said this latest episode lasted 35.5 hours, and resulted in fountains of 50 to 200 feet from the south vent. Some minor activity at the north vent, meanwhile, stopped at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, and the north vent pond collapsed some time Tuesday night.

Lava flows covered over 40% of the Halemaumau Crater floor within the southern part of Kaluapele, or Kilauea caldera.

The current on-again, off-again eruption began Dec. 23 with each episode lasting for between 13 hours to 8.5 days, separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting from less than 24 hours to 12 days, according to HVO.

Each episode has involved significant lava fountaining, with “episode 16” resulting in the highest fountains so far, exceeding 1,000 feet.

During this eruption, flows have been confined to Halemaumau and the southwest side of Kaluapele within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

No significant changes have been noted along Kilauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

The Kilauea volcano alert level remains at watch, and the aviation color code remains at orange.

Hazards from each eruption include vog, or volcanic smog, Pele’s hair, and tephra (rock fragments) that can affect the park and nearby communities.

Pele’s hair are thin, golden-brown strands of volcanic glass formed during eruptions when molten lava stretches and cools quickly, according to HVO, and the tiny fibers can be carried downwind of the crater, potentially causing skin and eye irritation.

During the eruptions, elevated emissions of sulfur dioxide have reached up to 50,000 tons per day. Vog can still linger after each episode ends.

Vog information is available at vog.ivhhn.org Opens in a new tab.