Hawaii's Most Famous Volcano Just Put on a Show Not Seen for Decades

Kilauea, one of Hawaii’s most active volcanoes, stole the spotlight this weekend with an eruption pattern not seen in 40 years. The spectacle was captured in a stunning time-lapse video, and shows how the eruption unfolded with multiple fiery bursts of lava, each separated by short pauses. According to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), this stop-and-start sequence is known as 'rapid rebound' activity, a phenomenon last seen at Kilauea back in 1986.

The timelapse from the USGS shows the eruption, which began on May 1, 2025 and lasted until early on May 2. The video was shared by ABC NEWS via youtube. 

Scientists from the USGS believe a so-called 'summit tremor' may be the cause. These tremors are continuous ground vibrations near the summit of a volcano, typically triggered by underground magma movement. In Kilauea’s case, it could be the result of magma shifting, reservoir decompression, or even potential structural changes within the summit caldera.

According to Spectrum News, hours before the main event, the crater pulsed with low dome fountaining and short lava overflows from the north vent. Each burst was followed by molten rock draining right back underground. Then, just before 9:30 p.m., sustained lava fountaining kicked off, shooting fiery jets nearly 330 feet into the sky.

This latest eruption brought more than lava and fireworks; it came with environmental repercussions for both visitors and locals. High winds carried sharp, hair-like strands of volcanic glass, known as 'Pele’s hair,' through the area. Along with clouds of tephra, which are gritty fragments of rock and debris hurled from the crater. On top of that, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) reported a spike in gas emissions, including a superheated mix of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. As that sulfur hits the atmosphere, it reacts to form vog (volcanic smog), which can travel for miles and degrade air quality across the region.

Overall, geologists continue to warn nearby communities, suspecting this fiery episode won’t be the last. Factors like the rapid shift in summit tilt flipping from deflation to inflation, and persistent tremors at the volcano’s summit, all suggest another eruption could be on the horizon.