The latest eruption of Kīlauea may be on pause, but scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey say fissure eruptions could sit for hours or even days before starting up again.
The eruption began early Monday morning in the southwest end of the Kīlauea caldera within the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
The eruption died down by mid-day Monday, but the lava’s glow could still be seen from the fissures overnight.
USGS Scientist-in-Charge Ken Hon said much of the volcanic activity happening beneath the surface is located in a remote area of the park and far away from any residential areas.
"There’s a very tiny probability it could work its way down the southwest rift zone. We do know that there are eruptions down there," Hon said.
"In 1823, there was an eruption out of the great crackdown there that overwhelmed the Hawaiian village and covered a huge area down there with lava. And most of the black sand at Punaluʻu is from that eruption. So we know big eruptions can happen down there. There’s no indication that that’s going to happen. But it’s a tiny possibility," he continued.
Hon said this is only the second time in the last two centuries that an eruption occurred in the southwest region of Kīlauea caldera.
As of Wednesday afternoon, USGS reported that the volcano's 48-hour pause indicates it is unlikely to restart. Tremors have "decreased substantially," yet volcanic gas emissions at the eruption site remain "well above background levels."
