August 22, 2024—InSAR image of ground deformation and map of seismicity for Kīlauea upper East Rift Zone intrusion

The map on the left shows recent deformation at Kīlauea over the timeframe of August 9–21, 2024. Data were acquired by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A satellite. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation. Each color cycle represents 2.8 cm (1.1 in) of ground motion. The symbol in the upper left indicates the satellite's orbit direction (arrow) and look direction (bar). The butterfly-shaped feature near Pauahi Crater on the upper East Rift Zone indicates ground surface motion over this time period as magma intruded underground. The map on the right shows earthquakes over the same timeframe, August 9–21, 2024. The intrusion of magma likely occurred the night of August 19–20, when there were more than 200 earthquakes beneath Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone, extending from near Puhimau Crater southeast to Maunaulu. Most earthquakes were smaller than M2.0, though there were 6 events larger than M3.0 and the largest was M3.7. Earthquakes remained at depths of 1–3 km (0.6–1.8 miles) beneath the surface and were accompanied by elevated rates and changing patterns of ground deformation. Cracks in Chain of Craters Road—which formed between Hilina Pali Road intersection and the Maunaulu parking lot during a similar intrusive episode from July 22–25—widened during the recent unrest, prompting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to close Chain of Craters Road. For information about interpreting interferograms, see this "Volcano Watch" article: Reading the rainbow: How to interpret an interferogram.