Kīlauea is shaking again — a lot.
Nearly 100 earthquakes rattled the summit of Hawaii’s most active volcano in just 24 hours as magma forced its way beneath the caldera and lava continued spilling and spattering from vents inside Halemaʻumaʻu.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded 98 shallow earthquakes across Kīlauea’s summit region, primarily beneath Halemaʻumaʻu. The largest, a magnitude 3.4, struck Wednesday night roughly a mile beneath the surface.
Take a peak at the spewing magma below:
At the same time, instruments detected extremely rapid ground deformation consistent with magma cracking its way through rock in an east-west direction.
“A shallow intrusion of magma occurred overnight within the summit region near the existing eruption location,” USGS reported. North and south vents continued producing “intermittent overflows, spatter, and strong glow.”
The sudden unrest prompted Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to temporarily close the Keanakākoʻi area, including portions of old Crater Rim Drive, nearby overlooks and the Crater Rim Trail to Keanakākoʻi.
🌋IT’S GONNA BLOW!🌋 Watch as the Kilauea volcano kicked off another explosive episode early Thursday morning.
This event marks the 55th episode of this on-going eruption. #HIwx #Kilauea pic.twitter.com/Gn60vk4r1w
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) October 1, 2026
By Thursday morning, seismicity and inflation had decreased.
“At this stage, it appears that intrusive activity is complete,” the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said, while warning that “conditions can change rapidly,” including the possibility of a new vent opening with little warning.
Kīlauea remains at WATCH/ORANGE, with USGS saying the summit is “highly pressurized” and conditions remain favorable for another lava-fountaining episode.
What about a tsunami?
Related: Anak Krakatau Erupts for 25 Hours in Indonesia, Reigniting Mega-Tsunami Fears (Video)
There is no tsunami warning associated with the current swarm, and an M3.4 summit earthquake is dramatically different from the huge fault movements capable of displacing enough seawater to generate a destructive wave.
But Kīlauea does have a sobering history.
In 1975, the massive Kalapana earthquake on Kīlauea’s south flank caused the coastline and offshore seafloor to move abruptly, generating a deadly tsunami. USGS says the wave reached approximately 48 feet at Halapē, killing two people.
For now, scientists say the new unrest remains concentrated beneath Kīlauea’s summit.
But with lava glowing above ground and magma moving below it, the volcano is clearly restless. And it’s probably not done spewing just yet. Stay tuned.
Related: Watch: Japan’s Underwater ‘Mount Everest’ Unleashed a 124-Foot Tsunami
Original Post from this site