Sunrise over the Kīlauea summit, captured by a USGS webcam on Monday morning.

(BIVN) – Episode 8 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption appears poised to begin.

Although the start of Episode 8 has not been officially announced by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, sporadic lava fountaining was seen at the caldera vent on Sunday evening and Monday morning. 

The spattering was first observed from the north vent at around 7:15 p.m. HST on Sunday night, February 2nd. 

The USGS HVO says the spattering increased between 8:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. HST when steam obscured the vent. 

Scientists noted that summit inflation “remains at the minimum needed for the start of a new episode.” 

All activity associated with the ongoing summit eruption that began in December 2024 remains confined to the summit caldera within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

This story will be updated when the USGS HVO publishes its daily Kīlauea update.