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Insights from more than a year of ongoing episodic lava fountaining at Kilauea

Ashton F. Flinders·Natalia I. Deligne·Ken Hon·Drew T. Downs·Kendra J. Lynn·Patricia A. Nadeau·Katie Mulliken·Jefferson C. Chang·Peter J. Dotray·Marco Bagnardi·Ingrid A. Johanson·Michael H. Zoeller·Kyle R. Anderson·Matthew R. Patrick·Christoph Kern·Christine Ruth Sealing·Michael P. Poland·David Alan Phillips·Michael Cappos·Liliana G. Desmither·Andria P. Ellis·Steven Fuke·Pauline N. Fukunaga·Madeline Kaliko Hawk·Thomas-Jon Kekoa Hiroaki Hoomanawanui·John David Jamora·Albert Keliiaimoku Kamake'eaina·Kevan Kamibayashi·William Tollett·Kody Rubio·Seth Soren Swaney·S. Miki Warren·Heather Brianne Winslow·Ninfa Lucia Bennington·Arthur Jolly·R.G. Adams·M. Decker·L. Forster·Elisabeth Gallant·Cheryl Gansecki·Richard W. Hazlett·B.F. Houghton·N. Kohagura·S. Lundblad·N.G. Pasqualon·K. Poepoe·Hannah Kelsay Neuman·C. Cauley·K. Wilde
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Abstract

Episodic lava fountaining is rare globally, with only three occurrences from Kīlauea (Hawaii) since 1823. Beginning in December 2024, an eruption within the summit crater, Halemaʻumaʻu, has produced 52 fountaining episodes to date, each lasting typically for hours and separated by days to weeks. Although multiple mechanisms have been proposed, fundamental questions remain about how magma reservoir pressure, conduit permeability, and volatile exsolution control fountaining onset. We present a multi-parameter record of episodic fountaining at Kīlauea using modern geochemical, geophysical, and geologic monitoring. These observations revealed systematic correlations between fountaining and summit inflation, enabling unprecedented quantitative forecasts. This eruption will provide new constraints on the timing, evolution, and processes driving episodic fountaining globally, and highlights Kīlauea’s role as a natural laboratory for studying volcanic processes.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 19.1973692737413° to 19.552567384333813° latitude; -155.54264602929635° to -155.17074379199312° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Ashton F. Flinders, Natalia I. Deligne, Ken Hon, Drew T. Downs, Kendra J. Lynn, Patricia A. Nadeau, Katie Mulliken, Jefferson C. Chang, Peter J. Dotray, Marco Bagnardi, Ingrid A. Johanson, Michael H. Zoeller, Kyle R. Anderson, Matthew R. Patrick, Christoph Kern, Christine Ruth Sealing, Michael P. Poland, David Alan Phillips, Michael Cappos, Liliana G. Desmither, Andria P. Ellis, Steven Fuke, Pauline N. Fukunaga, Madeline Kaliko Hawk, Thomas-Jon Kekoa Hiroaki Hoomanawanui, John David Jamora, Albert Keliiaimoku Kamake'eaina, Kevan Kamibayashi, William Tollett, Kody Rubio, Seth Soren Swaney, S. Miki Warren, Heather Brianne Winslow, Ninfa Lucia Bennington, Arthur Jolly, R.G. Adams, M. Decker, L. Forster, Elisabeth Gallant, Cheryl Gansecki, Richard W. Hazlett, B.F. Houghton, N. Kohagura, S. Lundblad, N.G. Pasqualon, K. Poepoe, Hannah Kelsay Neuman, C. Cauley, K. Wilde. 2026. Insights from more than a year of ongoing episodic lava fountaining at Kilauea. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aef2931

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