(BIVN) – Kīlauea volcano on Hawaiʻi island is not erupting. The number of earthquakes in the summit area has increased over the past day. Still, seismicity remains lower than it was before a deep earthquake swarm was observed on Friday, and the alert level remains at ADVISORY.

From the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Wednesday:

Summit Observations:  Earthquake activity has increased over the past month beneath the summit of Kīlauea. Activity has alternated between typical shallow, 0.5-2.5 miles (1-4 km) earthquakes beneath the south caldera region and 3-6 miles (5-10 km) deep earthquakes directly beneath Kīlauea caldera. Rates of seismicity increased over the past day but remained lower, and had less low frequency activity, than the deep earthquake swarm observed last Friday evening. Kīlaueaʻs summit remains inflated but recent ground deformation remains low. Tiltmeters near Sand Hill and Uēkahuna showing no significant changes in the past day. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas emission rates have remained low since October 2023. An SO2 emission rate of approximately 52 tonnes per day was recorded on April 23.

USGS graph shows earthquakes per day during the past week (blue bars). The red line is the cumulative moment (energy) release.

Rift Zone Observations: Seismicity in Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone and Southwest Rift Zone remain low. No unusual activity has been noted along the middle and lower sections of Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone. We continue to closely monitor both rift zones.

Measurements from continuous gas monitoring stations downwind of Puʻuʻōʻō in the middle East Rift Zone—the site of 1983–2018 eruptive activity—continue to be below detection limits for SO2, indicating that SO2 emissions Puʻuʻōʻō are negligible.

Analysis: Friday night’s earthquake swarm had a strong low frequency component indicating movement of magma within the summit system. This activity appears to have been deeper than normal activity that has preceded recent summit eruptions and HVO will continue to monitor the summit region closely. At this time, it is not possible to say with certainty if this renewed activity will lead to an eruption in the near future –or simply remain confined below ground. However, an eruption in Kīlauea’s summit region, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and away from infrastructure, is one potential outcome.