December 2024 Summit Eruption

The eruption at Kīlauea can increase or cease at anytime.

The eruption may fluctuate in vigor over the coming days or come to a complete stop without notice. Eruptions are unpredictable and cannot be forecast.

 

On the morning of December 23, Kīlauea volcano began erupting in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. At 2:20 a.m., fissures opened on the caldera floor, releasing lava fountains up to 295 feet high. Lava flows spread across Halemaʻumaʻu crater and a section of the caldera that collapsed during the 2018 collapse events. The eruption was mainly confined to the southwest side of the caldera, and by 9:30 a.m., the lava fountains had decreased to about 230 feet in height.

This eruption, like most others, started with vigorous lava and volcanic gas emission, but has paused three times.

Lava covered approximately 650 acres within the Kīlauea caldera. The lava, about 1 meter thick, resulted in an average rate of 110 cubic yards per second (85 cubic meters per second) during the first 8 hours. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, which couldn't be measured directly, were estimated at over 100,000 tonnes per day early in the morning, decreasing by half by the afternoon—similar to emissions in previous eruptions.

This eruption marks the sixth in the summit caldera since 2020.