USGS: “Lava fountaining and effusion in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, paused abruptly around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 19. This comparison shows activity at the southwest wall eruptive vent the day before (left), and the same spot just after activity paused on Monday (right).” (USGS photo by M. Patrick)

(BIVN) – The eruption of Kīlauea remains paused, and the USGS alert level for the Hawaiʻi island volcano remains at WATCH. No unusual activity has been noted along the volcano’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone, scientists say.

From the most recent update by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:

Halemaʻumaʻu Observations: Monday afternoon, there was a rapid decline in lava fountaining and effusion at the eruptive vent on the southwest side of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Currently no lava is actively erupting in Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Overnight webcam views showed some incandescence from previously erupted lava on the crater floor as lava proceeds to cool. A live-stream video of the crater is available at (here).

Summit Observations: Simultaneous with the pause in the eruption, seismic activity (including eruptive tremor) in the summit region has been low. Over the last 24 hours, summit tiltmeters have measured gradual inflation. A sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rate of approximately 350 tonnes per day was measured on Tuesday, June 20, when eruptive activity was paused.

Rift Zone Observations: No unusual activity has been noted along the East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone; steady but low rates of ground deformation and seismicity continue along both. Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations in the middle East Rift Zone—the site of 1983–2018 eruptive activity—remain below detection limits for SO2.