On the evening of Aug. 23, a swarm of earthquakes was noticed under Kilauea caldera, creating the possibility that the volcano's magma has shifted.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) is raising the volcano alert level from "Advisory" to "Watch" and the aviation color code for from "Yellow" to "Orange" due to this activity, according to the USGS website.
"The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has detected an increase in earthquake activity beneath the south part of Kilauea summit caldera, within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park," the USGS said. "The activity began around 4:30 p.m., HST, on Aug. 23 and continued through the night and into the early morning of August 24, 2021. The swarm was accompanied by an increase in the style of ground deformation recorded by the Sandhill tiltmeter, just to the west of the earthquake swarm location. The same tilt increase was also recorded by the tiltmeter near Uēkahuna Bluff and the site of the old HVO building."
Over 140 earthquakes were detected, with the largest magnitude being 3.3, and the majority of the earthquakes being below a magnitude of 1, according to the USGS.
Based on satellite and webcam images, there is currently no evidence of lava at Kilauea's surface. Although Kilauea has a history of large eruptions, the last time the southern part of the Kilauea summit had a major explosion was in 1974, according to AP News.
“We get a lot of earthquakes here, and we get a lot of deformation here," geophysicist Jefferson Chang told AP News. "But the combination of the two makes us much more aware."
The HVO will closely analyze Kilauea's seismicity, deformation and gas emissions, and report any changes in the volcano's activity. The organization will provide daily updates on Kilauea until further notice.
Residents can stay informed and track volcanic activity on the Hawaii Volcano Observatory website.