New vents open at Kilauea summit as eruptive activity continues

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – New eruptive activity is underway at the summit of Kilauea.

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The U.S. Geological Survey said two new vents opened Monday night on and near the base of the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater.

The first vent began opening around 8:30 p.m. and started feeding a lava flow about 30 minutes later.

A second vent then opened roughly 100 feet up the crater wall and briefly produced another lava flow before that flow stalled.

USGS said the first lava flow remained active Tuesday morning.

Spattering also continued from the north vent, with periodic bursts observed from the south vent.

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Around 3 p.m. Monday, part of the north vent cone collapsed, causing spattering to increase in frequency and intensity.

USGS said summit inflation stalled around the time the second new vent formed.

Officials said the summit remains highly pressurized, but it is not possible to forecast what will happen next.

The new vents could continue erupting, or activity could shift back to the previously established vents.

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