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January 3, 2025 - Kīlauea Continues to Erupt
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On December 23, 2024, after three months of quiet, Kīlauea began spewing fountains of lava. The lava poured from a line of fissures near the southwest wall of Halema'uma'u crater, which lies within Kaluapele—the Hawaiian volcano’s summit caldera. The ongoing eruption is the sixth to occur within this caldera since 2020.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory saw eruptive activity begin at 2:20 a.m. local time on December 23. That morning, USGS observed fountains of lava reaching up to 80 meters (262 feet) high. By 9:30 a.m., a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter measured new lava spread across 650 acres (265 hectares) of the crater floor, with an average depth of about 10 feet (3 meters).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of Kīlauea’s continuing eruption on December 31. A red “hot spot” marks areas that are warmer than background which, in this case, is lava spewing and spreading from the volcano. A curving wave of heavy vog (volcanic fog) and ash drifts generally to the southwest of Kīlauea.
Vog is primarily made up of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide but it also contains acid particles. The most concerning part of vog comes from sulfur dioxide, which is a colorless, irritating gas that has an acrid odor like fireworks or a burning match, according to the Hawaii Interagency Vog Dashboard. It reacts in the atmosphere with oxygen, sunlight, moisture, and other gases and particles and, within hours to days, converts to fine particles, which scatter sunlight, causing the visible haze that is often observed downwind of Kīlauea.
Kīlauea is Hawaii’s youngest and most active volcano. Prior to the December 2024 event, it displayed activity in September 2024, when USGS observed multiple eruptions east of Kīlauea’s caldera, in a well-known magma storage region in the east rift zone.
According to USGS, eruptions in the summit region have lasted for about a week to more than a year. This eruption, like most others, started with vigorous lava and volcanic gas emission, but the eruption has paused twice since December 23. As of January 2, 2025, Kīlauea shows moderate levels of eruptive activity, including lava fountaining and continuing lava flows covering the western portion of the crater floor.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/31/2024
Resolutions:
1km (282.8 KB), 500m (1.6 MB), 250m (2.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On December 23, 2024, after three months of quiet, Kīlauea began spewing fountains of lava. The lava poured from a line of fissures near the southwest wall of Halema'uma'u crater, which lies within Kaluapele—the Hawaiian volcano’s summit caldera. The ongoing eruption is the sixth to occur within this caldera since 2020.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory saw eruptive activity begin at 2:20 a.m. local time on December 23. That morning, USGS observed fountains of lava reaching up to 80 meters (262 feet) high. By 9:30 a.m., a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter measured new lava spread across 650 acres (265 hectares) of the crater floor, with an average depth of about 10 feet (3 meters).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of Kīlauea’s continuing eruption on December 31. A red “hot spot” marks areas that are warmer than background which, in this case, is lava spewing and spreading from the volcano. A curving wave of heavy vog (volcanic fog) and ash drifts generally to the southwest of Kīlauea.
Vog is primarily made up of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide but it also contains acid particles. The most concerning part of vog comes from sulfur dioxide, which is a colorless, irritating gas that has an acrid odor like fireworks or a burning match, according to the Hawaii Interagency Vog Dashboard. It reacts in the atmosphere with oxygen, sunlight, moisture, and other gases and particles and, within hours to days, converts to fine particles, which scatter sunlight, causing the visible haze that is often observed downwind of Kīlauea.
Kīlauea is Hawaii’s youngest and most active volcano. Prior to the December 2024 event, it displayed activity in September 2024, when USGS observed multiple eruptions east of Kīlauea’s caldera, in a well-known magma storage region in the east rift zone.
According to USGS, eruptions in the summit region have lasted for about a week to more than a year. This eruption, like most others, started with vigorous lava and volcanic gas emission, but the eruption has paused twice since December 23. As of January 2, 2025, Kīlauea shows moderate levels of eruptive activity, including lava fountaining and continuing lava flows covering the western portion of the crater floor.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/31/2024
Resolutions:
1km (282.8 KB), 500m (1.6 MB), 250m (2.4 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
