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| A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist uses a laser rangefinder to collect fountain height measurements from the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. Fountain heights reached approximately 30–35 m (100–115 ft) on the morning of December 30. The S2cam webcam on the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, is visible in the bottom left corner of the photo. USGS photo by H. Winslow |
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND LAVA FOUNTAINS are heralding the arrival of 2025
with January as Volcano Awareness
Month. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory hosts events in Kaʻū and beyond throughout January for the public to learn about volcanic activity in
Hawai‘i and to submit art and poetry
recognizing Hawai‘i’s volcanic history.
Programs in Kaʻū include a talk story opportunity with HVO staff at Nāʻālehu Public Library from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8; a talk summarizing eruptive activity and earthquakes over the past year at Cooper Center in Volcano village on Friday,
Jan. 10; a coffee talk at Kahuku Unit
of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on
Saturday, Jan. 11 at 9:30 .am. regarding
the 2019–2020 water lake at Kīlauea
summit; an opportunity to learn the
art and science of geologic mapping
in Hawai‘i during a talk at Volcano Art
Center in Volcano village on Thursday, Jan. 16; and a talk in Pāhala at
Kaʻū District Gym Recreation Room
on Monday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. about
earthquakes happening deep beneath
that region
since 2019.
As part of Volcano Awareness
Month 2025, USGS invites the public
to enter a new art and poetry contest,
open Jan. 1–20. Submit a haiku poem
or art in any medium, no larger than
Lava Fountains Welcome Volcano Awareness Month
16x24 inches in size, related to volcanic landscapes or eruptions in Hawai‘i.
Winners in several categories will be
announced in a Volcano Watch article at the end of January article
at the end of January, and a selection of
entries will be on display at a scientific
conference
on caldera-forming eruptions, such as Kīlauea's in 2018, set for Hilo in February 2025.
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitors six active volcanoes in Hawai‘i, noting that past eruptions have shaped all of the Hawaiian Islands. From the unique sands of Papakolea Green Sand Beach to lava flows across the landscape, this island is shaped by volcanic processes and events.
USGS reports that 2024 was a year of dynamic volcanic activity on the Island of Hawaiʻi, with Kīlauea eruptions occurring outside of the summit caldera of Kaluapele for the first time since 2018. Multiple intrusions into the upper portions of the Southwest Rift Zone and East Rift Zone culminated in a one day eruption southwest of the caldera on June 3, and an eruption in and near Nāpau Crater on the middle East Rift Zone, Sept. 15-20.
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| An Aerial view of two eruptive cones in the southwest corner of Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea's summit on the morning of December 30. The fissure fountains reached heights of approximately 30 meters (100 ft) and lava flows continue to cover a portion of the crater floor. USGS photo by H. Winslow |
Throughout January 2025, HVO scientists will also offer walks with talks on Tuesdays in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Join HVO staff as they discuss the network of instruments monitoring Hawai'i's volcanoes on Jan. 7; describe Kīlauea's ever-evolving summit caldera on Jan. 14; walk on Jan. 21 into the Whitney Vault, built in 1912 to host volcano monitoring equipment; and explain Kīlauea's explosive past
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Additional guided hikes will take place on Saturdays in January. Learn about the 1868 Mauna Loa eruption while walking the Puʻu o Lokuana trail in the Kahuku Unit of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Jan. 4. On Jan. 18, hike to Maunaiki in the Kaʻū Desert of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park— Maunaiki erupted in 1919–1920. On Jan. 25, trek the slopes of Hualālai in Kona to learn about unique trachyte deposits in Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Forest Reserve.
Talks summarizing eruptive activity and earthquakes over the past year will also take place at Pāhoa Public Library on Monday, Jan. 13, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and Kailua-Kona Public Library on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Learn the art and science of geologic mapping in Hawai‘i during a talk at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Other programs include a talk on Thursday, Jan. 23 at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau about the devastating events in 1868, and a Geology Department open house at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on Friday, Jan. 24.
For details on the Hawaiʻi Volcano Awareness Month programs throughout January, see https://www.usgs.gov/ observatories/hvo/news/island-hawaiivolcano-awareness-month-programsjanuary-2025, with a full calendar and event descriptions, as well information about the art and poetry contest. Questions? Email askHVO@usgs.gov.
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| Aerial view looking to the southwest of the active and inactive parts of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The dark black lava in the foreground covered most of the crater floor on the first day of the eruption, starting around 2:20 a.m. on December 23. The current activity is concentrated near the lava fountains in the western quarter of the crater floor. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey geologist D. Downs |
