USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
on February 20, 2023

Halemaʻumaʻu Lava Lake Observations: Eruption of lava on the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor continues to be greatly diminished over the past 24 hours. The eastern and central vents are not erupting. The western lake in the basin of the 2021–22 lava lake remains active but with weak lava flows. Very little lava is circulating within the lake, which is mostly crusted over with intermittent crustal overturns. The reduction in activity is related to the larger deflationary tilt drop that began in the early morning of February 17. Surface eruptive activity is expected to resume when the summit re-inflates to the level preceding the strong deflation. A live-stream video of the western lava lake is available at youtube.com.

Summit Observations: Over the past 24 hours summit tiltmeters showed inflation of about 2 microradians until about 11:30 pm HST on February 19, 2023 that turned into deflation of about 1.5 microradians that continues as of 8:00 am HST on February 20, 2023. Heavy rains continue to create steaming over the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor that obscure most webcam views. Volcanic tremor has dropped slightly but remains above background levels. A sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate of approximately 2,000 tonnes per day (t/d) was measured on February 13, 2023.

Rift Zone Observations: No unusual activity has been noted along the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone; steady rates of ground deformation and seismicity continue along both. Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations downwind of Puʻuʻōʻō in the middle East Rift Zone have been below detection limits for SO2, indicating that SO2 emissions from Puʻuʻōʻō are negligible.