Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for August 30, 2018


Changes at the summit of Kīlauea between April 14 and August 20, 2018, were captured by a USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory camera. This time-lapse series includes roughly one image per day. The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u is visible in April, with overflows onto the caldera floor on April 23. The lava lake drains in early May, followed by explosive activity over the next few weeks. Large-scale subsidence of Halema‘uma‘u and the adjacent caldera floor begins at the end of May and ends abruptly on August 2. Summit seismicity and ground deformation are negligible through August 20, 2018. The crater within the caldera is now seven times larger than it was before the onset of subsidence.


An Unmanned Aircraft Systems overflight of fissure 8 on August 21, 2018, showed no incandescence within the cinder cone. Minor amounts of gases, primarily steam, rose from the north wall of the cinder cone and from areas along the lower East Rift Zone. The interior walls of the fissure 8 cone and lava channel are slumping downward and inward. The cinder cone was about 50 m (164 ft) high. Note: An overflight of the fissure 8 vent this morning (August 29) again showed no incandescence within the cone. Video taken Wednesday, August 29, 2018 courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey


Time-lapse panorama of the KÄ«lauea Caldera Wide Angle from HVO Observation Tower. August 23-30, 2018. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO


Time-lapse movie at Mile Marker 14.5 on Pahoa-Kalapana Road (Route 130). August 23-30, 2018 Images courtesy HDOT

(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

At KÄ«lauea’s lower East Rift Zone, no incandescence was visible in the fissure 8 cone and no lava was entering the ocean as of August 30. At the summit of the volcano, seismicity and ground deformation were negligible, and no collapse event has occurred since August 2. However, hazardous conditions remain in both areas. Residents in the lower Puna and KÄ«lauea summit areas on the Island of HawaiÊ»i should stay informed and heed Hawai‘i County Civil Defense closures, warnings, and messages (http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/active-alerts). HVO daily status reports are posted at https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/status.html.

At Mauna Loa, HVO geophysical monitoring networks indicate that earthquakes and deformation are near background levels, and the USGS Volcano Alert level for the volcano remains at NORMAL.

HVO continues to closely monitor both KÄ«lauea and Mauna Loa and will report any significant changes on either volcano.

No earthquakes were reported felt in Hawaii this past week.

Please visit HVO’s website (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo) for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates, Mauna Loa monthly updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake info, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

One Response to “Volcano Watch: Kilauea activity update for August 30, 2018”

  1. Lorna Kellogg says:

    Enjoy getting real information from a source that doesn’t force ads down my throat with the slightest movement of the cursor. So many ads dress themselves up as news that it is maddeningly difficult to find real information.

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