Kilauea is erupting again on Hawaii’s Big Island. What to know about its lava displays

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has been shooting lava from its summit crater about once a week since late last year, delighting residents, visitors and online viewers alike with a firehose of molten rock.

On Wednesday, the volcano had its 34th episode since December. Scientists believe they are all part of the same eruption because magma has been following the same pathway to the surface.

Lava fountains reached 330 feet (100 meters) early Wednesday, officials said. Winds are blowing moderately from the northeast, suggesting that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the southwest, according to the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The lava has been contained within the summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings. It isn’t expected to affect local commercial airports.

Park visitors can see the eruption in person. Others can watch popular livestreams offering a choice of three different camera angles made possible by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Kilauea is on Hawaii Island, the largest of the Hawaiian archipelago. It’s about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the state’s largest city, Honolulu, which is on Oahu.

Here’s what to know about the latest eruption at Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes:

Fountains
of molten rock

A lower magma chamber under Halemaumau Crater has been receiving magma directly from the earth’s interior at about 5 cubic yards (3.8 cubic meters) per second, said Ken Hon, scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This blows the chamber up like a balloon and forces magma into an upper chamber. From there it gets pushed above ground through cracks.

Many of the eruptive episodes since December have featured lava soaring high into the air. In some cases the lava formed towers topping 1,000 feet (300 meters.) The fountains are generated in part because magma — which holds gases that are released as it rises — has been traveling to the surface through narrow, pipelike vents.

The expanding magma supply is capped by heavier magma that had expelled its gas at the end of the prior episode. Eventually enough new magma accumulates to force the degassed magma off, and the magma shoots out like a Champagne bottle that was shaken before the cork was popped.

This is the fourth time in 200 years that Kilauea has shot lava fountains into the air in repeated episodes. There were more episodes the last time Kilauea followed this pattern: The eruption that began in 1983 started with 44 sessions of shooting fountains. Those were spread out over three years, however. And the fountains emerged in a remote area, so few got to watch.

The other two occurred in 1959 and 1969.

Predicting Kilauea’s future

Scientists don’t know how the current eruption will end or how it may change. In 1983, magma built enough pressure that Kilauea opened a vent at a lower elevation and started continuously leaking lava from there rather than periodically shooting out from a higher elevation. The eruption continued in various forms for three decades and ended in 2018.

Something similar could happen again. Or the current eruption could instead stop at the summit if its magma supply peters out.

Scientists can estimate when lava is likely to emerge days ahead of time by using sensors that indicate when magma is inflating or deflating.

“Our job is like being a bunch of ants crawling on an elephant trying to figure out how the elephant works,” Hon said.

The lava fountains have been shorter lately. Steve Lundblad, a University of Hawaii at Hilo geology professor, said the vent may have gotten wider, leaving molten rock less pressurized.

“We’re still gonna have spectacular eruptions,” he said. “They’re just going to be wider and not as high.”

Carrying stories of Pele

Some people may see lava flows as destructive. But Huihui Kanahele-Mossman, the executive director of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, said lava is a natural resource that hardens into land and forms the foundation for everything on Hawaii Island.

Kanahele-Mossman’s nonprofit is named after her grandmother — the esteemed practitioner of Hawaiian language and culture. The foundation’s hula halau, or school, is celebrated for its mastery of a style of hula rooted in the stories of Pele and her sister, Hiʻiaka.

Kanahele-Mossman has visited the crater a few times since the eruption began. She initially watches in awe and reverence. But then she observes more details so she can go home and compare it to the lava in the centuries-old tales that her school performs. While at the crater, she also delivers a chant prepared in advance and places offerings. Recently she presented awa, a drink made with kava, and a fern lei.

“You as the dancer, you are the storyteller and you carry that history that was written in those mele forward,” she said, using the Hawaiian word for song. “To be able to actually see that eruption that’s described in the mele, that’s always exciting to us and drives us and motivates us to stay in this tradition.”

Visiting the volcano

Park visitation has been increasing since the eruption began. In April, there were 49% more visitors than the same month of 2024.

Park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane noted that the last several episodes have only lasted about 10 to 12 hours. Those wanting to go should sign up for U.S. Geological Survey alert notifications because the eruption could be over before you know it, she said.

She cautioned that visitors should stay on marked trails and overlooks because unstable cliff edges and cracks in the earth may not be immediately apparent, and falling could lead to serious injury or death. Young children should be kept close to adults.

Volcanic gas, glass and ash can also be dangerous. Nighttime visitors should bring a flashlight.