Active Volcano on The Big Island

Activity has been increasing at the Kilauea crater. Here you can see an evening picture of the the active lava rising up to the Halema'uma'u Crater.  If you haven't seen it yet, go now...its the best view in about 20 years!

Activity Summary:

There was slight inflation at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano over the past day. The summit lava lake remains close to the rim of the Overlook crater but did not spill onto the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater over the past day. Seismicity beneath the summit and upper East and Southwest Rift Zones is elevated, and included a magnitude 3.6 earthquake in the upper East Rift Zone this morning at 4:42 am. At the East Rift Zone eruption site, widespread breakouts are active within about 8 km (5 mi) of Puʻu ʻŌʻō.

The summit lava lake is within an elliptical crater (unofficially called the Overlook crater), which has dimensions of approximately 160 m (520 ft) by 210 m (690 ft), inset within the eastern portion of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater. The lake level has varied from about 0 m to more than 200 m (660 ft; out of sight) below the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater. The Overlook crater has been more-or-less continuously active since it opened during a small explosive event on March 19, 2008. The lake level responds to summit tilt changes with the lake generally receding during deflation and rising during inflation. Since 2013, the lava level has been typically between 30 m (100 ft) and 60 m (200 ft) below the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, but starting on April 21, began rising and reached to the Overlook Crater rim. Small collapses in the Overlook crater are common, and over time have resulted in a gradual enlargement of the Overlook crater. The ambient SO2 concentrations near the vent vary greatly, but are persistently higher than 10 ppm and frequently exceed 50 ppm (upper limit of detector) during moderate trade winds. The gas plume typically includes a small amount of ash-sized tephra (mostly fresh spatter bits and Pele's hair from the circulating lava lake). The heaviest pieces are deposited onto nearby surfaces while the finer bits can be carried several kilometers before dropping out of the plume.

Puʻu ʻŌʻō Cone and Halemaʻumaʻu Crater These areas are within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park; Park access and viewing information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm.