Kilauea Volcano’s summit lava lake continues to fluctuate, the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Thursday.
Kilauea Volcano’s summit tiltmeters, which are used to measure tiny changes in the “tile” or angle of the ground, began recording deflation around noon Wednesday, scientists said. That was followed by a decrease in the lava lake level within the Overlook vent on Halemaumau Crater’s floor. As of Thursday morning, the lava lake was within about 130 feet of the vent’s rim.
Though the lava lake remains out of sight of visitors at Jaggar Museum within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, scientists said that the lava lake continues to circulate and occasionally spatter producing a gas plume visible during the day and a glow visible at night.
Seismicity rates beneath the summit and upper East Rift Zone have been at normal, background levels for the past day.
Breakouts along the June 27 lava flow remained active within about 5 miles of Puu Oo, scientists said.
The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on March 25 downgraded its alert level for Kilauea Volcano from a “warning” to a “watch.”