Last updated on September 24th, 2024 at 11:23 pm
The most active volcano on Earth has been very sporadic lately. Actually, it spends most of its time being silent nowadays. But it has rumbled to life again during the Kīlauea September 2024 eruption, which itself has been sporadic and unpredictable. How long will it last? We shall see.
Kīlauea last erupted back in June of this year. In that episode, the eruption lasted less than a day and occurred in an exceedingly rare area just to the southwest of Halema’uma’u Crater. How rare are eruptions in this area? Well, over the past 250 years, only two other eruptions occurred in the area, including a six-hour one that happened in 1974.
At any rate, before the June 2024 eruption, the last one we saw at Kīlauea was in September 2023, which was wholly contained within Halema’uma’u Crater. But not this time. Like the previous one, the Kīlauea September 2024 eruption is occurring outside of the crater yet again.
Kīlauea September 2024 Eruption
While the June 2024 eruption occurred to the Southwest of Halema’uma’u Crater, the Kīlauea September 2024 eruption is happening in an area to the east of the summit caldera. Specifically, active fissures have all appeared in Nāpua crater, which is roughly halfway between Maunaulu and Pu’u’ō’ō, all of which are in Kīlauea’s upper-middle East Rift Zone. The last time an eruption occurred here was in 1997, lasting only a couple of days from the wee hours of January 30 and going quiet on January 31.
This time, the first eruptive activity began on the evening of September 15 in an area just to the west of Nāpua crater. The first eruption lasted just a few hours before going silent. Then, at 6 p.m. on September 16, new fissures opened within the crater and continued until around 4 a.m. on September 17, when it ceased once again. Between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., yet another fissure opened in the crater and continued erupting throughout the day.
Roughly 4 hours after the third phase of the eruption began, scientists at the USGS reported that the Kīlauea September 2024 eruption had already covered 25% to 30% of the crater floor and remains wholly confined to the crater.
While it’s impossible to predict how long an eruption will last. However, the USGS reports that continuing deflation at Kīlauea’s summit indicates that magma is still being supplied to the new fissures. Of course, there’s no telling how long that will continue to happen or how much magma is even available, so I wouldn’t plan on rushing to Volcanoes National Park to try to catch the eruption. Actually, the eruption is occurring in a closed section of the park, so it’s not like you’d be able to see it, anyway.
Eruption Impacts
Even though the Kīlauea September 2024 eruption is occurring in a closed section of the park, as of this writing on Tuesday, September 17, it is having very real effects on Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The primary one of these is the closure of Chain of Craters Road. This closure was triggered by high levels of Sulphur Dioxide emissions from the eruption blanketing the area. That limits your park experience to the summit district of the park, as the Chain of Craters Road is how you get to Maunaulu, Pu’uloa Petroglyphs, and the Hōlei Sea Arch.
That said, Chain of Craters Road starts at the southern end of Devastation Trail, so a great variety of things remain open for you to enjoy, such as Devastation Trail, Kīlauea Iki, and Thurston Lava Tube, among others.
Update
As of September 18, activity is subsiding, resulting in lower earthquake/ground deformation risks, and less gas emissions. Due to this, Chain of Craters Road has reopened.
Update 2
The Kīlauea September 2024 eruption ended on September 22, 2024.
Final Thoughts
As is always the case, if you’re planning a trip to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, be sure to keep tabs on the park’s website for any changes in closures, along with the USGS website to find out about changes in the eruption. Otherwise, you can enjoy views of the eruption via both the park’s and USGS’ social media channels.
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