Kīlauea’s 47th Episode Ties Usgs Record at Halemaʻumaʻu
Kīlauea’s ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption reached its 47th lava-fountaining episode on Thursday May 14, and usgs said that total ties the volcano’s record. The milestone matches the 1983-1986 initial phase of the Pu‘uʻōʻō eruption for the most fountaining episodes ever recorded at Kīlauea.
The current eruption reached 47 episodes in 1.5 years. The earlier Pu‘uʻōʻō phase took 3.5 years to reach the same count, with average pauses of 10 days between Halemaʻumaʻu episodes and 24 days during Pu‘uʻōʻō.
Kīlauea Iki and Pu‘uʻōʻō
The comparison runs deeper than the episode count. The preliminary magma supply rate for the Halemaʻumaʻu eruption is about 5.8 cubic yards per second, or 4.4 cubic meters per second, while Pu‘uʻōʻō averaged about 4.6 cubic yards per second, or 3.5 cubic meters per second.
Usgs also places the current eruption beside earlier Kīlauea benchmarks. The 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption produced 17 episodes, the 1969-1970 Maunaulu eruption produced 12 episodes, and Kīlauea Iki holds the record fountain height of just over 1,900 feet, or 580 meters, lasting about 10 minutes.
Why this record matters at Kīlauea
The present Halemaʻumaʻu activity is drawing notice because it offers unusually close access to classic Hawaiian lava-fountain events that have not been seen since the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption. By contrast, the Pu‘uʻōʻō fountains were less widely seen because the eruption was in a remote location in the middle of the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea.
The current episode count also sits beside a slower rhythm in other eruptions. The average pause was about 18 days between Maunaulu fountain events and 2 days between Kīlauea Iki fountain events, showing how different Kīlauea’s fountain patterns have been across its major episodes.
Halemaʻumaʻu’s next comparison
The 47th episode now gives scientists and visitors a direct comparison point with Pu‘uʻōʻō, not just in count but in timing and magma supply. The current eruption has matched the old record sooner, and the next question is how long it holds that place as Halemaʻumaʻu continues to add episodes.
