The lava lake inside Kilauea volcano’s Halema‘uma‘u crater is nearly 700 feet deep.
The lava lake inside Kilauea volcano’s Halema‘uma‘u crater is nearly 700 feet deep.
According to an update this morning from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, lava has filled about 695 feet (212 meters) of the crater and only the western portion of the lava lake is active.
Eruptive activity continues at the western fissure, which is supplying lava to the lake via a sluggish lava stream at the inlet site along the west margin.
Active surface lava remains largely confined to the western half of the lake. The western fissure has a few incandescent openings in the vent region, but no open lava channel and no obvious sign of spattering.
SO2 emission rates remain elevated. The most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measurements from Jan. 23, are about 2,200 metric tons per day, which is lower than the emission rates from the pre-2018 lava lake (3,000–6,500 metric tons per day).
There is no seismic or deformation data to indicate that additional magma is currently moving into either of Kilauea’s rift zones, according to HVO.
