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Kīlauea’s Summit Activity Prompts Aviation Code Orange as Short Eruptions Continue

USGS set the aviation alert to Orange to reflect ash, gas, and intermittent columns from brief summit eruptions confined to the Halemaʻumaʻu crater.

Overview

  • USGS reported a new eruptive pulse on January 12 with dome-shaped lava fountains about 12 meters high feeding flows from north and south vents.
  • Lava activity remains limited to the Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with intermittent overflows and monitoring focused on ash, gas, and aviation hazards.
  • A January 10 event produced a column exceeding 20,000 feet, prompting the aviation status change and continued surveillance of summit emissions.
  • Officials describe this as roughly the 40th short-duration episode since activity resumed on December 23, 2024, typically lasting hours to less than a day.
  • Most heavier ash and tephra fall within 1–2 kilometers of vents, while finer particles can travel much farther, and high sulfur dioxide output can form vog that affects air quality; HVO provides real-time data and live video streams.