Volcano in United States
Kilauea volcano: eruption status today
Updated
Kilauea is active now: NASA lists an open volcanic activity event (latest report Dec 23, 2024) 77 earthquakes within 50 km in the past 7 days.
Live status of Kilauea: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- Active (NASA EONET) latest report Dec 23, 2024
- Last eruption
- 1964 or later last significant: 2018
- Elevation
- 1,222 m 4,009 ft
- Type
- Shield volcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 300 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Hilo 40 km NNE
Is Kilauea erupting right now?
NASA's Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET) has an open volcanic event for Kilauea, last updated Dec 23, 2024 (672 days ago). EONET opens an event when agencies such as the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program report eruptive activity or unrest, and closes it when activity ends.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near Kilauea
USGS located 300 earthquakes within 50 km of Kilauea in the past 30 days, 77 of them in the last week. The largest was M3.6 on Oct 5, 2026, 8 km S of the summit at 28 km depth.
112 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 01:17 UTC | M2.0 | 16 km SSW | 29 km | 15 km NE of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 26, 00:47 UTC | M1.9 | 9 km SE | -1 km | 8 km S of Volcano, Hawaii |
| Oct 26, 00:25 UTC | M2.3 | 14 km SE | 2 km | 12 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 23:41 UTC | M1.7 | 27 km S | 40 km | 16 km E of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 18:47 UTC | M1.8 | 33 km SW | 30 km | 1 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 17:53 UTC | M1.9 | 39 km SE | 37 km | 33 km SSW of Leilani Estates, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 17:44 UTC | M2.1 | 14 km SSW | 28 km | 18 km NE of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 10:34 UTC | M2.8 | 32 km W | 35 km | 29 km E of Honaunau-Napoopoo, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 06:17 UTC | M2.2 | 35 km SW | 32 km | 3 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 06:03 UTC | M1.8 | 24 km SW | 47 km | 9 km NNE of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 03:18 UTC | M1.8 | 22 km ESE | 0 km | 14 km SSE of Fern Forest, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 03:01 UTC | M1.9 | 32 km SW | 28 km | 0 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 02:11 UTC | M2.3 | 34 km SW | 32 km | 2 km SSW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 01:22 UTC | M2.2 | 38 km SW | 8 km | 6 km WSW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 00:12 UTC | M2.0 | 37 km SSW | 39 km | 11 km SSE of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 25, 00:05 UTC | M1.9 | 41 km SSW | 36 km | 15 km SSE of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 24, 17:08 UTC | M1.8 | 36 km SE | 38 km | 29 km SSE of Fern Forest, Hawaii |
| Oct 24, 09:33 UTC | M1.9 | 2 km S | 0 km | 7 km SW of Volcano, Hawaii |
| Oct 24, 08:26 UTC | M1.9 | 41 km SSW | 49 km | 19 km SE of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 24, 05:53 UTC | M2.2 | 20 km WNW | -1 km | 25 km W of Volcano, Hawaii |
| Oct 24, 03:29 UTC | M1.9 | 30 km SW | 7 km | 6 km NNW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 24, 03:27 UTC | M1.8 | 31 km SW | 6 km | 5 km NW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 23, 23:17 UTC | M1.8 | 33 km SW | 30 km | 1 km WSW of Pāhala, Hawaii |
| Oct 23, 22:57 UTC | M1.8 | 33 km SSE | 38 km | 33 km SSE of Volcano, Hawaii |
| Oct 23, 22:37 UTC | M1.8 | 13 km SSE | 2 km | 14 km S of Volcano, Hawaii |
About Kilauea
Kilauea is a shield volcano in Hawaiian Is, United States, rising to 1,222 m (4,009 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Shield volcanoes have broad, gentle slopes built by fluid lava flows; eruptions are usually effusive (lava fountains and flows) rather than explosive.
The nearest large town is Hilo, about 40 km NNE of the summit.
- Hilo (40 km) earthquakes nearby
Flights and volcanic ash
1 major airport is within 400 km; the closest is Daniel K. Inouye (HNL), 346 km away. Volcanic ash melts in jet engines, so an explosive eruption can close airspace and cancel flights even far downwind.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
| Airport | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) | 346 km | NW |
Other volcanoes in United States
United States has 58 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now, 1 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Mauna Loa, 34 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in United States
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.