Lava lake reaches vent rim, stops short of overflowing

The lava lake atop Kilauea reached the rim of Overlook Crater vent Tuesday morning but dropped again before spilling over its edge.

The level of the lake, which has risen significantly since last week, remains about 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) below the Overlook crater rim, but has fluctuated to slightly deeper and shallower levels depending on the vigor of spattering in the lake, according to Hawaii Volcano Observatory’s update Tuesday morning.

“The lava lake reached briefly to the rim this morning, during a period when all spattering stopped, but did not get quite high enough to overflow onto the Halemaʻumaʻu Crater floor,” HVO wrote.

Geologists reported no significant inflation or deflation at Kilauea’s summit since Monday.

The last time the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater saw lava was 1982, when a small puddle reached the bottom following an eruption from a 0.6-mile long fissure that cut across the Kilauea caldera floor northwest of the crater.

The recent rise of the lava lake has not resulted in any significant change or increased activity at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. All active flows from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō remain within about 5 miles of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent, and about 8 miles from the area of Highway 130 near Pahoa, according to Civil Defense. Presently, the Kilauea Volcano alert level remains at the “watch” or orange threat level and there is no immediate threat to any down slope communities.

For the latest information, visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov.