Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. December 22-29, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

Time-lapse thermal image movie of Halemaumau Overlook Vent. December 22-29, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

Time-lapse movie of Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook Vent from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. December 22-29, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

Time-lapse movie of Halemaumau Crater looking Southwest. December 22-29, 2016. Images courtesy of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Time-lapse movie of KÄ«lauea Caldera from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. December 22-29, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO

(Activity updates are written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

Kīlauea continues to erupt at its summit and East Rift Zone. This past week, the summit lava lake level varied between about 16 and 27 m (52–89 ft) below the vent rim. The 61g lava flow was still active and entering the ocean near Kamokuna. A younger branch of the flow is advancing slowly to the east of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The 61g lava flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. During the past week, only a few small-magnitude earthquakes occurred beneath the volcano, primarily in the upper Southwest Rift Zone and summit caldera at depths less than 5 km (3 miles). GPS measurements continue to show deformation related to inflation of a magma reservoir beneath the summit and upper Southwest Rift Zone.

One earthquake was reported felt on the Island of Hawaiʻi during the past week. On December 27, at 11:53 a.m., HST, a magnitude-3.3 earthquake occurred approximately 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Hilo at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi).

On December 27, at 11:53 a.m., HST, a magnitude-3.3 earthquake occurred approximately 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Hilo at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi).

Time-lapse multi-image movie of Mokuʻāweoweo Caldera from the Northwest Rim on Mauna Loa. December 22-29, 2016. Images courtesy of USGS/HVO