Update at 10:44 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025: Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that Episode 38 of the ongoing episodic eruption inside Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island has ended.

Episode 38 of Kilauea’s nearly year-long eruption ended Dec. 6 after just over 12 hours of continuous lava fountaining, which included a rare triple fountain. The U.S. Geological Survey said the latest eruptive episode began at around 8:45 a.

The eruption lasted for just over 12 hours. Kīlauea spewed more than 3 billion gallons (16 million cubic yards) of lava during this event—enough to fill 25,000 Olympic swimming pools. The eruptive plume rose more than 20,000 feet (6,000 m) above sea level.

Past episodes have produced incandescent lava fountains over 1,000 feet high that produce eruptive plumes up to 20,000 feet above ground level. “The spilt nature of the north vent suggest episode 38 may produce lower fountains similar to episode 37 when the same two vents existed in the north cone,” the HVO reports.

A screen capture of a video of Episode 38 of the ongoing episodic eruption of Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island. Jeff Hansel of Hilo shared the video — which was originally posted publicly just after noon Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, by EpicLava on Facebook.

Kīlauea began its 38th eruptive episode in its series of eruptions on Saturday morning with a spectacle of lava fountains coming out rapidly from the volcano's vents.

Tephra formed by lava fountains during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption has created a new puʻu, or hill, southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater and visible from the public viewing areas around Kīlauea summit in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

An enormous lava fountain erupted, devastating a USGS webcam that was livestreaming the event. This article will delve into the details of this remarkable occurrence, discuss the eruption's characteristics,

Lava fountaining is on full display at Kilauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Episode 38 began at 8:45 a.m., Dec. 6, with lava fountains reaching heights of 50 to 100 feet from the north vent.

For the first time ever, scientists analyzed 120 years of data from Kīlauea Volcano—and what they found could change how we understand earthquakes and volcanic eruptions forever. From 338,000 earthquakes to a devastating 1975 tsunami,