The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Kilauea volcano began its 14th episode on Wednesday at 9:26 a.m., continuing the ongoing eruption. But on Thursday at 1:49 p.m., the eruption paused again.  

The current eruption, which began on Dec. 23, 2024, has now produced 14 episodes of lava fountaining, each separated by brief pauses in activity. These spectacular bursts of lava originate from two vents within the Halemaʻumaʻu crater: the north vent and the south vent.

In the early hours of Tuesday, between midnight and 6 a.m., seven small and sluggish lava flows emerged from the south vent. Each flow was short-lived, lasting no longer than 10 minutes and flowing only 50 feet. These tiny flows were accompanied by occasional bursts of spatter visible from the north vent via a webcam. These bursts became more frequent as dawn approached. According to HVO, the small overflows from the south vent and spattering in the north vent showed that magma was very near the surface in both vents.

Continuous eruptions of lava began at the north vent at 9:26 a.m. on Tuesday, marking the official start of Episode 14. Lava began overflowing from the south vent at about 9:50 a.m. HVO said fountain heights reached 600 feet at the episode's peak, mostly from the south vent.  

Episode 14 ended on Thursday at 1:49 p.m. when fountaining at the south vent stopped. Fountains from the north vent ceased 11 minutes earlier. Lava flows from this episode covered about 75% of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu within the southern part of Kilauea caldera, according to HVO.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information from HVO regarding the end of Episode 14. (March 20, 2025)