Summit lava lake rises slightly

The lava lake at Kilauea Volcano’s summit rose slightly during the past day, the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Wednesday.

The summit lava lake level rose to about 130 feet below the original floor of Halemaumau Crater on Tuesday and remained elevated Wednesday. On Tuesday, it was about 155 feet below the new Overlook Crater rim, which is located on the floor of Halemaumau Crater.

Scientists said Wednesday the rise correlated with minor inflation at Halemaumau. During inflation, magma rises into the summit reservoir, according to the observatory. The summit reservoir enters the deflation portion of the cycle when the magma moves laterally into a rift zone and either erupts or is stored there.

The lava, however, remains out of view from the Jaggar Museum within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Tiltmeters at Kilauea Volcano’s summit continued to record a small decrease in tilt in a direction associated with magma accumulation in the Southwest Rift Zone, according to the observatory. Other tiltmeters in the summit area were either flat, or recorded minor inflationary tilt from the area of Halemaumau.

Earthquake activity at Kilauea’s summit and Southwest Rift Zone was at normal background levels during the past day, the observatory’s scientists said.

The tiltmeter on the north flank of Puu Oo recorded no significant change in tilt during the past 24 hours. Seismicity rates there were also normal.

Breakouts along the June 27 lava flow remained active within 5 miles of Puu Oo, scientists said Wednesday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on March 25 downgraded its alert level for Kilauea Volcano from a “warning” to a “watch.”