Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is temporarily closing two trails at the summit of Kīlauea volcano due to increased seismic activity and continued inflation.
The National Park Service announced Wednesday, October 7th, that Halemaʻumaʻu Trail and part of Byron Ledge Trail would close by 5pm. The closures affect a combined 1.3 miles of trail. The trails descend from the Kīlauea caldera rim to the caldera floor, putting visitors in areas that have experienced dangerous rockfalls in the past.
The closure comes after more than 200 shallow earthquakes were recorded beneath the Kīlauea summit during the previous week. Six additional earthquakes occurred within the 24 hours before the announcement, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Recent Earthquake Caused Rockfalls
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck beneath Kīlauea at 9:52pm on September 30th. The earthquake caused small rockfalls along the northern wall of the caldera, highlighting the potential danger posed by the ongoing seismic activity.
Scientists are also monitoring new cracks that have opened across the caldera floor between Uēkahuna and Wahinekapu, also known as Steaming Bluff. The cracks are believed to have formed during a short-lived magma intrusion between September 30th and October 1st.
Kīlauea remains highly pressurized, while irregular inflation and deflation at the summit make future changes difficult to forecast.
Another Eruption Could Be Possible
The increased activity is also being closely watched for potential changes to Kīlauea’s ongoing eruptive cycle. According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, lava fountains could resume within Halemaʻumaʻu crater from the north-south-west vent complex. The volcano’s last eruption occurred on August 25th.
The 43-day pause that’s followed represents the longest period without lava fountains since the current eruptive cycle began on December 23rd, 2024. Scientists also say another magma intrusion could occur and potentially produce an eruption along the summit’s existing weak crack system.
Additional viewing areas on the Keanakākoʻi side of the caldera were closed last week because their remote location could make rapid evacuation difficult.