Over the past several days there have been some significant changes in the eruption at Kilauea Volcano. At the lower east rift zone activity at Fissure 8 has decreased, and as of the morning of August 6, 2018 there is only some weak to moderate activity. At Fissure 8, the bubbling lava lake (with a weak plume) and the main lava channel appear to be crusting over.
Additionally, there is a plume present at Puu Oo which has been observed over the last several weeks. USGS measured the gas emission rate at over 1,000 tons/day of SO2, which is a rate higher than has been seen in several years. There doesn’t appear to be an increase in temperature and no active lava has been observed.
The summit is also experiencing a change in activity. The most recent collapse was on August 4th at 11:55am HST. This length of time between events is a change from the regular collapse events over the last several months. Deformation and tilt at the summit has basically stopped; the seismicity remains low.
What this change means for the eruption is not currently known, but it is common for eruptions to wax and wane though time
