(BIVN) – The ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea remains paused, following the abrupt end of Episode 18 on April 22. 

“The rapid rebound of UWD and SDH from deflation to inflation at the end of episode 18 along with faint glow from the south vent suggest another episode is very likely,” wrote scientists with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Wednesday. “The pattern of inflation and deflation changed during episode 17 and 18 making determining the likely window for the start of episode 19 fountaining more difficult. Preliminary data indicate that episode 19 is likely to start sometime next week.” 

“As more data becomes available, the window will be adjusted,” the USGS HVO wrote. 

USGS: “Episode 18 on April 22, 2025, of Kīlauea’s ongoing eruption occurred during wind conditions that resulted in tephra being deposited in the Uēkahuna area, north of the vents. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park temporarily closed the Uēkahuna area at the time and cleaned affected roads and parking lots after episode 18 ended (foreground). The hazardous area permanently closed to visitors on the other side of the gate was not cleaned (top half of the photo), providing a visual indication of how thick tephra was.” (USGS photo by N. Deligne)

Scientists also shared this information about Episode 18:

The north and south vents stopped erupting at approximately the same time. The fountaining phase of episode 18 began at 3:20 a.m on April 22 and lasted for just over 10 hours. Lava erupted from both vents with maximum fountains from the south vent reaching over 600 feet (200 meters) high while those from the north vent remained below 200 feet (60 meters high). Approximately 5 million cubic meters were erupted at about 140 cubic meters per second. Lava flows from both vents covered over 60% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu within the southern part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) and glow from these flow was visible through (Tuesday) night.

USGS: “Telephoto view of lava fountaining from the south vent in Halema‘uma‘u during episode 18 of the eruption within the summit caldera of Kīlauea. The south vent fountains reached above the crater rim walls during the episode and recorded heights of about 600 feet (200 meters).” (USGS photo by H. Winslow)

No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone. 

The USGS Volcano Alert Level for Kīlauea remains at WATCH.