Photo by Janice Wei
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Episode 21 ended at 08:34 p.m. HST on Sunday, May 11, 2025, after ~8 hours of sustained fountaining. The Halema’uma’u eruption is currently paused.
The sustained fountaining phase of episode 21 began at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Lava fountains and flows erupted primarily from the north vent, and the south vent was largely obscured by the north vent activity. Fountains from the north vent quickly reached estimated heights of more than 500 feet (150 meters). Lava flows from this episode inundated the near vent and extended more than a km along the north edge of the Halema’um’au crater floor. The sustained fountaining phase was preceded by the onset of small fountain events at 4:30, 5:20 and 8:00 a.m. after which numerous small fountains were observed. The precursory low-level activity included gas-pistoning and fountains some of which included modest lava pond drainback.