HVO/USGS Volcanic Activity Notice

Volcano: Kilauea (VNUM #332010)

Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Previous Volcano Alert Level: WARNING

Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Previous Aviation Color Code: RED

Issued: Monday, June 3, 2024, 8:27 AM HST
Source: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Notice Number: 2024/H170
Location: N 19 deg 25 min W 155 deg 17 min
Elevation: 4091 ft (1247 m)
Area: Hawaii

Volcanic Activity Summary:

Kīlauea volcano is erupting. A new eruption began at approximately 12:30 a.m. HST on Monday, June 3, about 4 km (2.5 miles) southwest of Kīlauea caldera within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The eruption is currently ongoing but is taking place in a remote location within the national park, is low in eruptive volume, and does not pose an immediate threat to human life or critical infrastructure.

Accordingly, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is lowering the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from WARNING to WATCH and the Aviation Color Code from RED to ORANGE. 

Due to the remote location of this eruption, the primary hazards at this time are airborne hazards related to gas emissions and tephra being blown down wind of the eruption. 

HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea for signs of increasing or decreasing activity. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new Volcanic Activity Notice will be issued.

Hazards are present on Kīlauea and are described below. Residents and visitors should stay informed and follow County of Hawai‘i and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park guidelines.

Rates of seismicity and ground deformation beneath the East Rift Zone remain low. Current activity is restricted to the summit and south caldera region. 

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes

Recent Observations:
[Volcanic cloud height] N/A
[Other volcanic cloud information] N/A
[Ballistics] N/A
[Lava flow/dome] N/A
[Lava flow] N/A

Remarks:

Hazard Analysis: 

Kīlauea eruptive activity is occurring within the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. High level of volcanic gas—primarily water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)—being emitted is the primary hazard of concern, as this hazard can have far-reaching effects downwind. As SO₂ is released from the summit, it reacts in the atmosphere to create the visible haze known as vog (volcanic smog) that has been observed downwind of Kīlauea. Vog creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, damages agricultural crops and other plants, and affects livestock. For more information on gas hazards at the summit of Kīlauea, please see: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs20173017. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org.  

Other significant hazards also remain around Kīlauea caldera from Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall instability, ground cracking, and rockfalls that can be enhanced by earthquakes within the area closed to the public. This underscores the extremely hazardous nature of the rim surrounding Halemaʻumaʻu crater, an area that has been closed to the public since early 2008.   
 
For discussion of Kīlauea hazards, please see: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards. 
 
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) continues to closely monitor Kīlauea Volcano. 

Please see the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website for visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm. 

Contacts:

askHVO@usgs.gov

Next Notice:

Kīlauea updates will be issued daily. Should volcanic activity change significantly, a new VAN will be issued. Regularly scheduled updates are posted on the HVO website at https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/volcano-updates  

More Information:

• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor information: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm
• Kīlauea activity summary also available by phone: (808) 967-8862
• Kīlauea webcam images: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/webcams
• Kīlauea photos/video: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/multimedia
• Kīlauea lava-flow maps: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/maps
• Kīlauea FAQs: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/faqs
• Kīlauea hazards discussion: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/hazards

Subscribe to these messages: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/
Summary of volcanic hazards from eruptions: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/hazards
Recent earthquakes in Hawaiʻi (map and list): https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo
Explanation of Volcano Alert Levels and Aviation Color Codes: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes