(BIVN) – The new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea continues, as high lava fountains returned to the Hawaiʻi island volcano on Christmas Eve. 

The eruption that began early Monday morning slowed to a halt later that same day. Scientists say the eruption was paused through the night and then reactivated at several of the vents along the southwest of Halema‘uma‘u crater floor. 

The USGS Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at WATCH, and the current eruptive activity remains confined to Halemaʻumaʻu and the downdropped block within the caldera. Scientists say the eruption may fluctuate in vigor over the coming days. Already on Tuesday, high lava fountains returned to view on the USGS summit webcams. 

Visitors flocking to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to witness the eruption can “expect long delays of over an hour at the entrance station due to heavy congestion,” the National Park service wrote over social media.

A small fountain of lava can be seen feeding the lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 24th. (NPS Photo/R.Loh)

Rangers suggest visitors arrive after 9 p.m. or before 5 a.m. to avoid the traffic jams.

From the Tuesday update by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, written after the eruption had resumed:

Summit Instrumental Observations: Seismicity at the summit over the last 24 hours has been low with approximately 8 earthquakes, all below magnitude-2.0. At the onset of the eruption yesterday morning, seismic tremor was high. However, around 3 p.m. yesterday, seismic tremor began to decrease, and currently there is low to moderate tremor related to vent activity. Immediately after the summit eruption commenced, summit tilt meters recorded rapid to moderate deflation until late afternoon. Around 3 p.m. yesterday, Kīlauea’s summit began slowly inflating. Based on ground instruments, the SO2 emissions were estimated to be over 100,000 tonnes per day during the initial stages of the eruption and dropped to about half of that by mid-day yesterday before the pause. The infrasound array picked up a clear signal from the summit around 10 a.m. this morning corresponding to low-level fountaining. A data problem last night resulted in images from Halemaʻumaʻu crater being displayed on a Nāpau Crater camera site. There is no eruptive activity in Nāpau Crater, and the camera has been temporarily taken offline for maintenance.

USGS: “This reference map depicts the new Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater on December 23, 2024, constructed using data captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight at 9:30 a.m. The eruption started in the early morning with lava fountains on the crater floor and in the western wall, where activity gradually focused as the morning progressed. By the time of the overflight, new lava flows had covered approximately 650 acres (265 hectares) of the crater floor to an average depth of about 10 feet (3 meters).”

Summit Eruption Observations:  Webcam images indicate that the new eruption started within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at 2:20 a.m. HST on December 23. The main eruptive vent is located on the southwest side of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. By mid-day yesterday, lava flows had erupted across Halema‘uma‘u crater floor and overflowed onto the down-dropped block area to the east. Lava flows covered 650 acres (1 square mile or 2.6 square kilometers), which is about one quarter of the entire caldera floor of Kaluapele. Large glowing bombs, pumice, and Peleʻs hair were deposited downwind of Halemaʻumaʻu during the peak of the eruption. Fountaining decreased abruptly at 3:30 p.m. yesterday and had ceased by 4:00 p.m. Drainback of lava into the original vents began soon after fountaining stopped and continued through the night. Drainback reversed around 8 a.m. this morning, December 24, and low-level eruption of sluggish lava occurred from several of yesterday’s vents. Fountains began increasing in vigor around 11:00 a.m., signaling the onset of a second episode of this eruption. Breakouts of red lava are also visible on the surface of the lava lake as it continues to circulate.

Analysis: The current eruption at the summit of Kīlauea is the sixth eruption within the caldera since 2020. These eruptions in the summit region have lasted for about a week to more than a year in duration. This eruption, like most others, started with vigorous lava and volcanic gas effusion, which continued to decrease throughout yesterday, December 23, until the eruption paused around 4:00 p.m. Renewed, low-level eruption of sluggish lava that began around 8 a.m. this morning, and around 11:00 a.m. today more gas-rich lava began reaching the surface causing fountaining to become more vigorous. Increased fountaining accompanied by increasing tremor and the resumption of summit deflation mark the onset of a second eruptive episode. Repressurization of the summit appears to be forcing, degassed lava that drained back into the vents last night back to the surface.

During an overflight at 2:30 p.m. HST today, December 23, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists were able to collect a molten sample of lava from the new eruption within Kaluapele. Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano, is the sacred home of the elemental force associated with volcanoes—Pele. Analysis of molten samples, collected with permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, provides important information on the magma storage conditions before it erupted on the surface. After collection, molten samples are quickly quenched with cool water to preserve the geochemistry of the molten material. (USGS photo by M. Patrick.)