Kīlauea | U.S. Geological Survey
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Kīlauea
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Current Updates and Notifications
Kīlauea
orange WATCH, 2026-04-23 16:35:33 UTC
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Kilauea Message 2026-04-23 03:49:12 HST
Kilauea Volcano Alert Level remains at WATCH, and Aviation Color Code remains at ORANGE. National Weather Service has issued an ashfall advisory for downwind communities in Ka'u.
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Kīlauea
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Kīlauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes; since December 23, 2024, it has been intermittently erupting within the summit caldera in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Learn more about the most recent eruption
Quick Facts
Location:
Island of Hawai‘i
Latitude:
19.421° N
Longitude:
155.287° W
Elevation:
1,222 (m) 4,009 (f)
Volcano type:
Shield
Composition:
Basalt
Most recent eruption:
June 2024
Nearby towns:
Volcano, Pāhoa, Kalapana, Mountain View
Threat Potential:
Very High*
*based on the
National Volcano Early Warning System
YouTube Live: Kīlauea
See real-time video of the summit of Kīlauea.
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Kīlauea Activity Update
Kīlauea erupts frequently. An episodic lava fountaining eruption has been occurring in Halemaʻumaʻu crater, within the summit caldera, since December 23, 2024. This eruption is occurring within a closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
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Monitoring Data
Ground deformation measurements and earthquake monitoring provide an indication about what is happening beneath a volcano.
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Summary
Topographically Kīlauea appears as only a bulge on the southeastern flank of Mauna Loa, and so for many years Kīlauea was thought to be a mere satellite of its giant neighbor, not a separate volcano. However, research over the past few decades shows clearly that Kīlauea has its own magma-plumbing system, extending to the surface from more than 60 km deep in the earth.
In fact, the summit of Kīlauea lies on a curving line of volcanoes that includes Mauna Kea and Kohala and excludes Mauna Loa. In other words, Kīlauea is to Mauna Kea as Kama‘ehuakanaloa (formerly Lō‘ihi) is to Mauna Loa.
Kaluapele is the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano. Within Kaluapele, Halemaʻumaʻu (often a crater that hosts persistently active vents) is the home of Pelehonuamea (Pele of the red earth), the Hawaiian elemental force of creation that appears as red molten lava. Hawaiian chants and oral traditions record, in veiled forms, centuries of volcanic activity in Hawaii.  The first European, the missionary Rev. William Ellis, visited the summit in 1823 after which written documentation of eruptions begins. Kaluapele was the site of nearly continuous activity during the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Kīlauea ranks among the world's most active volcanoes.
Since 1952, Kīlauea has erupted dozens of times. From 1983 to 2018 eruptive activity was nearly continuous along the volcano's East Rift Zone, centered at Puʻuʻōʻō and Kupaianaha vents. At the summit, a vent within Halema‘uma‘u hosted an active lava pond and vigorous gas plume from 2008 to 2018. In 2018, the 35 years of continuous activity on the East Rift Zone ended. An intrusion into the lower East Rift Zone resulted in collapse and termination of the lava lake in Puʻuʻōʻō and draining of the summit lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu. Those events caused a devastating eruption from the lower East Rift Zone and resulting collapse within Kaluapele, which enlarged and deepened Halemaʻumaʻu. Since December 2020, several summit eruptions within Halema‘uma‘u have been slowly filling the collapsed area. In 2024, activity migrated out of the caldera, with an intrusion and eruption in the Southwest Rift Zone, and several intrusions in the upper East Rift Zone as well as an eruption on the middle East Rift Zone. Since December 23, 2024, an eruption has been intermittently active within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit.
Volcano Watch — Fountains and festivities: Kīlauea erupts episode 44 as Merrie Monarch begins
April 16, 2026
Volcano Watch — Fountains and festivities: Kīlauea erupts episode 44 as Merrie Monarch begins
Photo & Video Chronology — April 14, 2026 — Resolving HVO monitoring network outage
April 15, 2026
Photo & Video Chronology — April 14, 2026 — Resolving HVO monitoring network outage
Photo & Video Chronology — April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit episode 44
April 9, 2026
Photo & Video Chronology — April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit episode 44
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August 3, 2023
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea: Insights, puzzles, and opportunities for volcano science
The science of volcanology advances disproportionately during exceptionally large or well-observed eruptions. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) was its most impactful in centuries, involving an outpouring of more than one cubic kilometer of basalt, a magnitude 7 flank earthquake, and the volcano’s largest summit collapse since at least the nineteenth century. Eruptive...
Authors
Kyle R. Anderson, Tom Shea, Kendra J. Lynn, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Donald A. Swanson, Matthew R. Patrick, Brian Shiro, Christina A. Neal
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area
Volcano Hazards Program
Geologic Hazards Science Center
Volcano Science Center
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Kīlauea
December 28, 2021
Modeling the occurrence of M ∼ 5 caldera collapse-related earthquakes in Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i
Modeling the occurrence of M ∼ 5 caldera collapse-related earthquakes in Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i
During the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and caldera collapse, M ∼ 5 caldera collapse earthquakes occurred almost daily from mid-May until the beginning of August. While caldera collapses happen infrequently, the collapse-related seismicity damaged nearby structures, and so these events should be included in a complete seismic hazard assessment. Here, we present an approach to forecast the...
Authors
Andrea L. Llenos, Andrew J. Michael
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area
Earthquake Hazards Program
Earthquake Science Center
Geologic Hazards Science Center
Kīlauea
October 22, 2018
2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment
2018 update to the U.S. Geological Survey national volcanic threat assessment
When erupting, all volcanoes pose a degree of risk to people and infrastructure, however, the risks are not equivalent from one volcano to another because of differences in eruptive style and geographic location. Assessing the relative threats posed by U.S. volcanoes identifies which volcanoes warrant the greatest risk-mitigation efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners...
Authors
John W. Ewert, Angela K. Diefenbach, David W. Ramsey
By
Volcano Hazards Program
Volcano Science Center
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December 23, 2024
Eruption Information
Eruptive activity at the summit of Kīlauea, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, has been episodic since an eruption began on December 23, 2024.
By
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Kīlauea
Eruption Information
December 23, 2024
Eruption Information
Eruptive activity at the summit of Kīlauea, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, has been episodic since an eruption began on December 23, 2024.
November 21, 2024
September 2024 Nāpau Eruption
Kīlauea erupted in and near Nāpau Crater on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, from September 15-20, 2024.
By
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Kīlauea
September 2024 Nāpau Eruption
November 21, 2024
September 2024 Nāpau Eruption
Kīlauea erupted in and near Nāpau Crater on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, from September 15-20, 2024.
November 5, 2024
Past Week Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
This page presents Kīlauea monitoring data collected over the past week, including summit crater floor elevation, earthquake rates, locations, and depths, and ground deformation data.
By
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Kīlauea
Past Week Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
November 5, 2024
Past Week Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
This page presents Kīlauea monitoring data collected over the past week, including summit crater floor elevation, earthquake rates, locations, and depths, and ground deformation data.
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April 15, 2026—InSAR image of Kīlauea deformation associated with episode 44 of ongoing summit eruption
April 15, 2026—InSAR image of Kīlauea deformation associated with episode 44 of ongoing summit eruption
April 14, 2026 — HVO field engineer checks laptop
April 14, 2026 — HVO field engineer checks laptop
April 14, 2026 — HVO field engineer checks cables
April 14, 2026 — HVO field engineer checks cables
April 13, 2026—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map
April 13, 2026—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit eruption episode 44
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea summit eruption episode 44
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 eruptive plume from Volcano village
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 eruptive plume from Volcano village
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 eruption plume from Hilo
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 eruption plume from Hilo
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 tephra on Crater Rim Drive
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 tephra on Crater Rim Drive
Color photograph of lava fountain
April 9, 2026 — Kīlauea episode 44 timelapse video
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Quick Facts
Location:
Island of Hawai‘i
Latitude:
19.421° N
Longitude:
155.287° W
Elevation:
1,222 (m) 4,009 (f)
Volcano type:
Shield
Composition:
Basalt
Most recent eruption:
June 2024
Nearby towns:
Volcano, Pāhoa, Kalapana, Mountain View
Threat Potential:
Very High*
*based on the
National Volcano Early Warning System
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Kīlauea Monitorning Data (Seismic and Deformation)
Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
Past Week Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
Past Month Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
Past Year Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
Past 5 Years Monitoring Data for Kīlauea
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