Kīlauea Volcano Eruption History (1924 to Present)

Kīlauea erupted almost continuously for 35 years, from 1983 to 2018, and has been in near-constant eruption again since 2020. Its eruptions over the past 1,000 years have covered about 90% of the Big Island’s surface. The episodic eruption that began December 23, 2024 has already set the all-time record for most fountaining episodes in a single eruption of its type.

This page summarizes every major Kīlauea eruption from 1924 to the present, plus the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption. For how to see the current eruption in person, head to our lava viewing guide.

The ongoing Kīlauea episodic eruption (December 2024 to present)

There are five active volcanoes in the state of Hawaiʻi: four on the Big Island (Mauna Loa, Kīlauea, Hualālai, and Kamaʻehuakanaloa, still growing beneath the ocean) and one on Maui (Haleakalā). Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and the only one currently erupting.

The eruption began at approximately 2:20 a.m. on December 23, 2024, with lava fountains reaching up to 80 meters (262 feet) within the first hours. What followed is one of the most significant eruptive periods in Kīlauea’s recorded history.

Rather than erupting continuously, this eruption operates in episodes: the summit fountains for hours to days, pauses while the crater re-inflates, then begins again. This pattern has produced individual episodes with fountains reaching up to 200 meters (650 feet) at peak activity. As of June 2026, the eruption had completed 48 episodes, setting the all-time record for most fountaining episodes in a single episodic eruption and surpassing the 47 episodes of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption.

Visitors at Keanakākoʻi Overlook watch episode 47 of the Kīlauea eruption, with fountains reaching 600 feet (183 meters). The overlook requires a 0.5-mile hike from the parking area but puts you closest to the active vents along Crater Rim Drive.

The episodic pattern means the eruption is ongoing and may continue for months or years. You can follow the full episode-by-episode timeline, including start and end dates and fountain heights, on the USGS eruption information page.

Summit eruptions (2020 to 2024)

Between December 2020 and September 2024, Kīlauea produced six distinct summit eruptions before the ongoing episodic eruption began in December 2024. They ranged from a 12-hour event to a 17-month lava lake, all within or adjacent to Halemaʻumaʻu crater. None threatened homes or infrastructure.

2024 summit eruptions

The September 2024 eruption opened vents within and between Makaopuhi and Nāpau Craters on the middle East Rift Zone, beginning on the night of September 15 and lasting five days. The most active vents, located west of Nāpau Crater, produced lava that cascaded as lavafalls into the crater below. It was the first eruption outside the summit caldera since 2018.

An earlier eruption in June 2024 was shorter but geologically notable: originating from the Southwest Rift Zone, it began at approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 3 and ended within 12 hours, the briefest of the recent summit events.

Aerial image of the Southwest Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea, viewed during an overflight at approximately 6 a.m. on June 3, 2024. USGS image.

Kīlauea’s eruption plume illuminated during the early morning hours of June 3, 2024, visible from the Volcano Golf Course area. USGS image by D.A. Phillips.

2023 summit eruptions

Kīlauea erupted twice in 2023, both times from within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. In September, the third eruption of that year began on September 10 and lasted six days, ending on September 16.

See a short summary of the September eruption in our web story:

The June 2023 eruption, which preceded the September event by three months, lasted considerably longer: 12 days compared to six. Lava broke out within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at approximately 4:43 a.m. on June 7 and continued until June 19. Seismic tremor dropped sharply on the afternoon of June 19, and tiltmeters confirmed a quick shift from deflationary to inflationary tilt, marking the eruption’s end.

Kīlauea volcano erupted within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at approximately 4:43 a.m. HST on June 7, 2023. Image credit: USGS

By sunrise, the glow from the active crater was visible across the caldera:

Sunrise over Halemaʻumaʻu crater during the June 7, 2023 eruption, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

September 2021 to March 2023

Kīlauea erupted continuously from September 29, 2021 to March 7, 2023, creating a lava lake within Halemaʻumaʻu crater that was visible from the caldera rim overlooks for most of its 17-month duration. This was the longest of the 2020-2024 summit eruptions and the most consequential for visitors: for the first time in years, a persistent lava lake was visible from public overlooks day and night.

No homes or infrastructure were threatened. The crater floor rose approximately 43 feet (13 meters) and new lava covered 292 acres (118 hectares) of the crater floor.

Aerial view of the eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The lava field covered nearly 300 acres (120 hectares) of the crater floor. Mauna Loa is visible in the morning light in the background. Image credit: USGS.

December 2020 to May 2021

Kīlauea had been quiet since the 2018 LERZ eruption when lava returned to Halemaʻumaʻu crater on December 20, 2020. The eruption ended a period during which a water lake had been forming in the crater floor, a geological novelty with no precedent in recorded Kīlauea history. When lava arrived, the water lake disappeared rapidly.

The eruption lasted until mid-May 2021. On May 26, Hawaiʻi Volcano Observatory confirmed that lava supply had ceased and sulfur dioxide emissions had returned to near background levels.

The slowly filling Halemaʻumaʻu crater lava lake, photographed January 19, 2021, by a HVO scientist from a section of the park not accessible to the public. USGS photo by H. Dietterich (public domain).

The 2018 LERZ eruption

The Kīlauea Volcano lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption in lower Puna was preceded by the collapse of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent on April 30th and the onset of the draining of the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake on May 2nd. On May 3, 2018, several fissures in the Leilani Estates subdivision opened, marking the start of a new eruptive episode that continued until early September 2018.

You can find a detailed scientific summary of the LERZ eruption in the journal Science (start with the figures and the chapter “Synthesis of 2018 activity”). The USGS also published a thorough narrative of the eruption worth bookmarking.

The 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption in numbers:

• 13.7 square miles of land inundated by lava (the surface of almost 6,631 football fields)
• 875 acres of new land created by ocean entries
• 716 dwellings destroyed by lava
• ~30 miles of roads covered by lava
• ~1 billion cubic yards of lava erupted (enough to fill at least 320,000 Olympic-size swimming pools)
• ~60,000 earthquakes between April 30 and August 4, 2018

Videos of the 2018 LERZ eruption

The best way to understand an eruption is to see it. Many videos were made about this eruption; this is one worth your time:

ʻAilaʻau: Forest Eater

A short film by Lance Page from Page Films that takes viewers through the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea’s lower east rift zone. No narration: 8 minutes of footage and sound that puts you on the ground.

Earlier eruptions (1924-2018)

Kīlauea is the youngest and most active volcano in the state of Hawaiʻi. The oldest lava flows belonging to Kīlauea are dated between 210,000 and 280,000 years ago. Its eruptions over the last 1,000 years have shaped the entire southeast side of the island and cover about 90% of its surface.

The last 100 years of volcanic activity can be divided into seven major eruptions. Click on the link in each entry to read a summary on the USGS website.

The Island of Hawaiʻi with lava flows erupted in approximately the past 1,000 years shown in red. Image credit: USGS

• The May 1924 explosive eruption of Kīlauea in Halemaʻumaʻu (the most powerful explosions at Kīlauea since the early 19th century)
• The Kīlauea 1955 Lower East Rift Zone Eruption in Lower Puna (the first eruption in historic times to occur in any populous area in a U.S. territory)
• The 1959 eruption of Kīlauea Iki Crater (580 m / 1,900 ft lava fountains)
• The 1960 Kapoho eruption (barriers were built in an attempt to divert lava flows)
• The 1969-1974 Mauna Ulu Eruption (lava falls higher than Niagara)
• The Kīlauea summit eruption, 2008-2018 (lava lake viewing at the summit)
• The 1983-2018 Puʻu ʻŌʻō Eruption

Did you know the Air Force once bombed a lava flow threatening Hilo in 1935? Read about the volcanic history of Hawaiʻi in our blog if you want to learn more about all six Big Island volcanoes.

The 61g lava flow (2016-2018)

The 61g flow was the final episode of the long-running Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption and the direct predecessor of the 2018 LERZ. A breakout from the east flank of Puʻu ʻŌʻō on May 24, 2016 sent lava toward the coast along a path active since June 27, 2014. That earlier flow came very close to reaching the town of Pahoa.

This breakout was named the 61g flow (Episode 61, “g” lava flow). It reached the base of the Pulama Pali by the end of June 2016 and entered the sea at Kamokuna on July 26, 2016. Between July 2016 and March 2018, visitors could see the ocean entry of the 61g flow near Kamokuna both from land and by boat. The Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater collapse on April 30, 2018 marked the end of the 61g eruption and triggered the LERZ event that followed.

The 61g eruption was especially accessible because the lava was slow-moving and reached terrain open to the public. The presence of a nearby gravel road made the hike to the flow relatively straightforward and even allowed bike rentals to operate.

Mauna Loa: the 2022 eruption

Mauna Loa last erupted on November 27, 2022, for the first time since 1984. The eruption lasted about two weeks, with lava flows advancing toward the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road) before stalling on December 13. It was the first Mauna Loa eruption in 38 years.

The 2022 Mauna Loa eruption is over and there is no active lava visible on the surface.

Aerial photo of the Mauna Loa eruption showing a line of fissure vents erupting above 10,000 ft elevation on the Northeast Rift Zone. Image courtesy of Civil Air Patrol.

Track the eruption yourself

Eruption reporting in mainstream media is often exaggerated. For accurate, up-to-date information on what Kīlauea is doing, these two official USGS sources are the ones to bookmark:

1. The daily Kīlauea volcano lava flow update
2. The often-updated USGS multimedia gallery