Kīlauea Unleashes 1,030-Foot Lava Fountain in 50th Episode as USGS Eyes July 8-15 Repeat
Updated
Updated · Big Island Now · Jul 3
Kīlauea Unleashes 1,030-Foot Lava Fountain in 50th Episode as USGS Eyes July 8-15 Repeat
3 articles · Updated · Big Island Now · Jul 3
Summary
Episode 50 at Kīlauea’s summit lasted 7 hours on June 27, sending a 1,030-foot lava fountain from the north vent—the tallest since Episode 43.
USGS said summit inflation after the episode points to more magma buildup, with models putting a likely Episode 51 between July 8 and 15.
The ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption has logged 50 fountaining episodes in 551 days since Dec. 23, 2024, averaging about 11 days between eruptions and roughly 15 hours per episode.
Double fountains have marked 32 of the 50 episodes, though the south vent has sat out the past 7; it still produced this eruption’s highest fountain at 1,770 feet in Episode 43.
Kīlauea remains at Advisory alert level, while Mauna Loa stays at Normal after 94 summit-region earthquakes in June, down from 170 in May.