Kīlauea in Hawaii has produced its 56th episode of summit lava fountaining, according to the Volcano Watch column published on 6 November 2026 by Big Island Now. The column is written by scientists of the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It says the volcano has been erupting in episodes since 23 December 2024.
Episode 56 began shortly after noon on 5 November and ended just after 6pm, with roughly six hours of fountaining. The article says it reached at least about 660 feet (around 200 metres). Across the series, lower episodes peaked a little above 300 feet, while some rose above 1,500 feet.
The column explains that real-time estimates come from webcams such as the K2cam at Uēkahuna Bluff, using a scale overlay, while detailed figures come from timelapse cameras on the caldera rim. Geologists collect the data cards after each episode, mark the fountain tops by hand and convert the results using calibrated camera geometry. Measurements stop at the top of the dense fountain, excluding scattered glowing particles above it, so the figures are described as conservative. Heights for the first 50 episodes have been published in a recent data release.
Reporting note: The figures come from a single USGS-authored column and have not been cross-checked against the observatory’s own bulletins here. Fountain heights are estimates.
Photo: USGS / Hawaiian Volcano Observatory / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
