Conditions remain dynamic on Hawaii’s Big Island at the Kilauea Volcano, where the threat of an imminent eruption seems to have passed for now. According to USGS and their Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) unit, a significant amount of magma has been intruded south and southwest of the summit caldera since Saturday, January 27. Since then, USGS believes about 40 million cubic yards or roughly 30 million cubic meters of molten rock has made its way into the region, below the surface.
“As long as this intrusion continues, there is a chance that an eruption could occur within or southwest of the caldera with little advanced warning,” HVO warns.
However, over the last 24 hours, earthquake and ground deformation rates around the Kilauea summit and to its southwest along the Koa’e fault system have decreased significantly. “The intrusion of magma into this area appears to have slowed, and the likelihood of an eruption has decreased.”
Because of the lower odds of an eruption today, HVO is lowering the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from WATCH to ADVISORY and the Aviation Color Code from ORANGE to YELLOW.