HVO reported a break in visible lava activity at Kilauea’s Fissure 8 during 26-31 August. On 1 September incandescence at Fissure 8 was evident in the afternoon; spattering from a small area produced lava flows that slowly covered the 15 x 65 m crater floor by the evening. Lava continued to fill the Fissure 8 crater on 3 September. The Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch and the Aviation Color Code remained at Orange.

Geological Summary. Kilauea overlaps the E flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano in the island of Hawaii. Eruptions are prominent in Polynesian legends; written documentation since 1820 records frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions interspersed with periods of long-term lava lake activity at Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera until 1924. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1,500 years ago and during the 18th century; eruptions have also originated from the lengthy East and Southwest rift zones, which extend to the ocean in both directions. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the surface is younger than 600 years. The long-term eruption from the East rift zone between 1983 and 2018 produced lava flows covering more than 100 km2, destroyed hundreds of houses, and added new coastline.

Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)