Monday, June 3, 2024 The Kīlauea Volcano on Hawaiʻi Island has seen a significant increase in seismic activity and ground deformation, prompting officials to raise the volcano’s alert level. Although Kīlauea is not currently erupting, the heightened activity has led to concerns about potential volcanic hazards. On June 2, 2024, starting at approximately 12:00 p.
m. HST, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) observed a dramatic increase in earthquakes and ground deformation at the summit of Kīlauea. By 5:31 p.
m. HST, the HVO elevated the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from ADVISORY to WATCH and raised the Aviation Color Code from YELLOW to ORANGE. “Increased earthquake activity and ground deformation at Kīlauea’s summit began at approximately 12:00 p.
m. HST on June 2, 2024, indicating the likely movement of magma in the subsurface,” HVO scientists stated. “Rates of seismicity and deformation increased further after 5:00 p.
m. HST. At this time, it is not possible to say with certainty if this activity will lead to an eruption – the activity may remain below ground.
However, an eruption in Kīlauea’s summit region within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is one potential outcome.” Currently, the increased activity is confined to the summit region of Kīlauea. Scientists report that seismicity and ground deformation rates beneath the East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone remain low, suggesting that the potential hazard is localized t.
