Episode 54 of lava fountaining at Kilauea summit ends

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Episode 54 of Kilauea’s ongoing eruption has ended.

Episode 54 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 10:30 a.m. and ended at 7:33 p.m. on Tuesday, after 9 hours of continuous lava fountaining.

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At the start of this episode, officials said the north vent fountains started at about 50-75 feet high and was expected to grow rapidly to about 500 feet within the next 1-2 hours.

Weak spattering began on Monday and became more continuous after midnight. Overflows from the north vent began after 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, with continuous low-level fountaining starting around 9 a.m.

Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents indicate that winds are blowing from the northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the southwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu.

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Fountain heights are expected to be less than 500 feet (150 meters) and produce moderate amounts of tephra. Most large tephra will fall close to the vents, but fine ash and Peleʻs hair could be distributed to Pāhala and other communities in Kaʻu.

Most lava fountaining episodes since December 23, 2024, have continued for a day or less.

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