Kilauea volcano’s second episode in its recent eruption, which started on Monday, paused just before 11 a.m. on Christmas Day. 

On Monday around 2:30 a.m., Kilauea volcano started erupting within Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera. This first episode in the eruption paused after about 12 hours. 

However, on Tuesday, which was Christmas Eve, the eruption started again. Lava fountains in the southwest corner of Halemaumau crater began spewing lava across the crater floor around 11 a.m. But 24 hours later, the vigorous fountaining rapidly died down. Lava began draining back into the vent at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. 

HVO said inflation of the summit following the second pause shows the eruption may begin again, but it is not certain. 

Sulfur dioxide emissions remain elevated, with a gas plume rising above the caldera as of Thursday morning. However, outgassing decreased significantly with the shutdown of fountaining on Wednesday morning. 

The current eruption at the summit of Kilauea is the sixth eruption within the caldera since 2020. These eruptions have lasted for about a week to more than a year.