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How Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption unfolded from summit to coast

In 2018, magma moved down Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone and broke the surface at Leilani Estates. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded 62 summit collapse events as the lower-rift eruption continued.

Sources checked

Disaster Register Editorial Team

Six changes in the summit-to-coast sequenceSelected milestones of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse
  1. 30 April 2018
    Puʻuʻōʻō crater floor collapsed as magma moved downrift

    Source 2

  2. 3 May 2018
    Lava reached the surface through the first lower East Rift Zone fissure

    Source 2

  3. 10 May 2018
    The summit lava lake had dropped out of view

    Source 1

  4. 3 June 2018
    A lava channel from fissure 8 reached the ocean

    Source 1

  5. 2 August 2018
    The final summit collapse event occurred

    Source 1

  6. 5 September 2018
    USGS records the last visible active lava inside the fissure

    Source 1

The searchable event register also includes the park closure, ocean entries and the final observed active lava.

Source 1 Source 2

The first signs moved down the rift

The Puʻuʻōʻō crater floor collapsed on 30 April. USGS used seismic and ground deformation observations to track the magma intrusion. The first lower-rift fissure opened in Leilani Estates on 3 May, before the magnitude 6.9 earthquake recorded on 4 May. Source 2 Source 1

Lava flows reached two different parts of the coast

USGS records an ocean entry near MacKenzie State Recreation Area on 19 May. Later, activity focused on fissure 8. Lava from its channel reached Kapoho Bay on 3 June. The register keeps these milestones separate because they involved distinct paths and dates. Source 1

Summit collapses and fissure output were linked

The summit lava lake dropped out of view in May. USGS describes a cycle of earthquakes and incremental summit subsidence, with 62 collapse events overall. Observers also recorded a surge in fissure 8 lava output several hours after summit collapses. Source 1 Source 2

The eruption’s decline had several dates

The last summit collapse was on 2 August, followed by a sharp reduction in fissure 8 lava output and sulfur dioxide emissions on 4 August. Ocean entries ceased by 21 August, while intermittent activity inside fissure 8 lasted into September. Each date marks a different observation. Source 1

Sources

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