Sat May 10 13:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Kīlauea Volcano Continues Explosive Eruption, Landsat 9 Captures Latest Event
**HILO, HAWAII – May 9, 2025** – Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano continues its dramatic eruption, with a recent lava fountaining event captured by the Landsat 9 satellite. Since its December 2024 awakening, the volcano has experienced nearly twenty episodes of lava fountaining, some lasting over a week, with only brief periods of respite.
The latest episode, the nineteenth since the eruption began, saw lava fountains reaching heights of up to 300 feet (90 meters) on May 1, 2025. Landsat 9’s Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) captured thermal imagery of the event around 10:30 PM local time, showcasing the intense heat emanating from the summit crater.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), this episodic behavior, characterized by cycles of ground inflation and deflation coinciding with eruptions, mirrors activity observed at Kīlauea from 1983 to 1986. Tiltmeter data confirms the pattern of magma buildup beneath the surface followed by rapid release during eruptions.
While the eruption is currently contained within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, the HVO warns of potential impacts beyond the park boundaries. Volcanic smog (vog) from sulfur dioxide emissions and the dispersal of volcanic fragments, including Pele’s hair (volcanic glass fibers), pose health risks and potential hazards to nearby communities, depending on wind direction. Previous episodes have seen Pele’s hair impacting areas north and east of the caldera. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.
First Piper 