Kīlauea summit region shook for 5 hours Nov. 14 that year as magma made a path to the surface. The eruption began at 8:08 p.m. as a series of small lava fountains on the south wall of Kīlauea Iki Crater, east of Kaluapele — the summit caldera of Kīlauea. Gradually, during the next day, eruptive activity became focused at one vent.

COURTESY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY A screenshot of the webcam view from the south rim of the caldera. The eagerly anticipated “Episode 40 ” of the ongoing Kilauea eruption with high fountains did not arrive overnight,

An eruption at one of Hawaii’s most famous volcanoes produced an unexpected and mesmerizing effect. When Halemaʻumaʻu crater erupted in June 2023, the intense heat rising from the lava created powerful swirling wind vortexes that looked strikingly similar to tornadoes.

From Hawaiian Volcano Observatory livestreaming V2cam, a plume-like fountain erupted from the north vent during Episode 24 on June 4-5, 2025, creating an elegant arc. With a maximum fountain height of 1,194 feet, this was the highest fountain observed up until that point. (Photo Courtesy: U.S. Geological Survey)

A series of lava fountains building -a cone perched on the crater rim … sounds like the ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kilauea, but this description could also fit the Kilauea Iki eruption in 1959. Let’s compare these two episodic lava fountaining eruptions.

Beneath the western outskirts of Naples, one of Europe’s most complex volcanic systems is entering a phase of renewed unrest. Campi Flegrei, a vast caldera rather than a single volcanic cone, has shown clear signs of acceleration in seismic activity and ground deformation.

From USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory livestreaming V2cam, a plume-like fountain erupted from the north vent during episode 24 on June 4–5, 2025, creating an elegant arc. With a maximum fountain height of 364 meters (1194 feet), this was the highest fountain observed up until that point. USGS photo.