HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY STATUS REPORT U.S. Geological Survey Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 3:42 PM 

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY STATUS REPORT
U.S. Geological Survey
Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 3:42 PM 

KILAUEA (VNUM #332010)
19°25’16” N 155°17’13” W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE

Activity Summary: 

Episode 13 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption ended at 3:13 p.m. HST on March 11.  The north vent ceased fountaining abruptly at 3:11 p.m. HST. Subsequently, the south fountain became unsteady and also ceased activity by 3:13 p.m. HST. Episode 13 fountaining lasted for 12 hours and 37 minutes, and lava flows have covered more than 60% of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor.

Deflationary tilt reached 13 microradians lost during episode 13 before resuming inflationary tilt at 3:13 p.m. HST after fountaining ceased.

Measurements of SO₂ emission rates were approximately 40,000 tonnes per day this morning during high fountaining. Peleʻs hair was reported falling this morning in the town of Pahala about 25 miles (40 kilometers) downwind to the southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu.

Each episode of Halemaʻumaʻu lava fountaining since December 23, 2024, has continued for 13 hours to 8 days and episodes have been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting less than 24 hours to 12 days.

• Timeline of eruption episodes since December 23, 2024: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/science/eruption-information
• The Kīlauea summit livestream video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/usgs/live

No changes have been detected in the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and will issue an eruption update tomorrow morning unless there are significant changes before then.

Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remain at WATCH/ORANGE. All current and recent activity is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Hazards: 

This episodic eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. High levels of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—are the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. As SO₂ is continuously released from the summit during an eruption, it will react in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) downwind of Kīlauea. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/.

Additional hazards include Pele’s hair and other volcanic fragments from lava fountains. Pele’s hair are strands of volcanic glass often produced by lava fountaining activity. Volcanic fragments can fall on the ground within a few hundred yards (meters) of the eruptive vent(s), or downwind of the vent(s). Strong winds may waft light particles, including Pele’s hair, to greater distances downwind. Once they are on the ground, Pele’s hair can sometimes cluster and tangle together, giving it the appearance of a tumbleweed. The extent of Pele’s hair is dependent on lava fountaining activity and current wind conditions. Residents and visitors should minimize exposure to Pele’s hair and other volcanic fragments, which can cause skin and eye irritation. More information about how Pele’s hair, its hazards, and what to do is available here: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-recent-lava-fountains-highlight-peles-hair-hazards. A Frequently Asked Questions document developed for the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption includes information about potential health effects of Pele’s hair and is available here: https://vog.ivhhn.org/sites/default/files/FAQ_on_air_quality_and_health_during_Mauna_Loa_eruption_v1.6.pdf

Hawaiian lava flows generally advance slowly downslope, and during this eruption flows have been confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the southwest side of Kaluapele, Kīlauea’s summit caldera.

Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes within the area closed to the public. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of Kīlauea’s caldera rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu, an area that has been closed to the public since late 2007.