Officials closed portions of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on Thursday after almost 100 earthquakes shook the area beneath Kīlauea’s summit.
The National Park Service said the Keanakākoʻi area was shut to visitors as a precaution amid the seismic activity and signs of heightened volcanic unrest.
The temporary closure covers Old Crater Rim Drive, the overlooks around Keanakākoʻi Crater and the Crater Rim Trail leading to the area. The Devastation Trail parking lot remains accessible.
Nearly 100 earthquakes were detected in Kīlauea’s summit region during the previous 24 hours. The strongest registered at magnitude 3.4 at 9:52 p.m. HST Wednesday, according to the National Park Service.
The most intense earthquake activity unfolded from roughly 8 p.m. Wednesday through 3 a.m. Thursday.
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Since about 3 a.m. Thursday, the summit’s inflation has stabilized, while the frequency of earthquakes has eased.
A review of webcam images taken before and after the underground magma movement found no fresh ground cracks and no evidence that lava had begun erupting from a new location, the National Park Service said.
The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Episode 55 of Kīlauea’s continuing eruption could start soon. The anticipated activity follows a shallow magma intrusion overnight beneath the summit, close to the volcano’s established eruption site.
During the last 24 hours, the north vent produced several overflows, including a small dome fountain and another overflow that continued for more than an hour Wednesday afternoon.
Through the night, the north and south vents emitted a bright glow, occasional spatter and sizable flames. The west vent also remained visibly glowing and produced large flames.
Officials reported no indications of volcanic activity elsewhere in the area.
