1954 Summit Eruption

At the end of the brief summit eruption of 1954, which only lasted a few days, Halema‘uma‘u crater was covered with about 30 feet (9 m) of new lava. Flows also covered about 139 acres (56 hectares) of the caldera floor.

 

On May 31, 1954, a lava fountain erupting higher than the crater rim. Lava cascading down the northeastern crater wall in Halemaʻumaʻu crater.

NPS Photo/R.T. Kanemori

 

 

Additional Resources:

• "Kīlauea Volcano's 1954 summit eruption was a short, but spectacular, event" USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Volcano Watch article
• "Hawaiian Volcanoes During 1954" USGS Bulletin

 

Learn more about previous eruptions of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa