An eruption started at Kīlauea summit on December 20 at approximately 9:30 p.m. HST with multiple fissures opening on the walls of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The lava cascaded into the summit water lake, boiling off the water and forming a new lava lake at the base of the crater. The northern fissure, pictured, was producing the tallest lava fountain at roughly 165 feet (50 meters), and all lava was contained within Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Kīlauea caldera/USGS

Kīlauea Volcano, which erupted for roughly four months of 2018 at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, has resumed eruptions following a series of earthquakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. An eruption of Kīlauea was visible within the volcano's caldera, which was containing all the lava.

The observatory recorded a magnitude-4.4 earthquake located beneath Kīlauea Volcano's south flank on Sunday at 10:36 p.m. HST. The earthquake was centered about 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) south of Fern Forest, near the Hōlei Pali area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at a depth of 4 miles (6 kilometers).

"Weak to light shaking, with maximum Intensity of IV, has been reported across the Island of Hawai‘i," the observatory reported. "At that intensity, significant damage to buildings or structures is not expected."

“HVO continues to monitor Kīlauea as the situation is rapidly evolving with this evening’s eruption at the summit of Kīlauea. We will send out further notifications on Kīlauea and other Hawaiian volcanoes as we observe changes," said HVO acting Scientist-in-Charge David Phillips.

Kīlauea's south flank has been the site of over 30 earthquakes of magnitude-4.0 or greater during the past 20 years. Most are caused by abrupt motion of the volcano's south flank, which moves to the southeast over the oceanic crust. The location, depth, and waveforms recorded as part of today's earthquake are consistent with motion along the south flank detachment fault.

During 2018 Kīlaeau started erupting in early May and continued into August. Some of the more violent eruptions and lava flows destroyed hundreds of homes and structures below the volcano, redesigned the Halema‘uma‘u Crater, and greatly damaged park infrastructure.

"The summit area of the park was dramatically changed by tens of thousands of earthquakes, towering ash plumes, and 62 massive collapse explosions," park staff reported at the time. "The events caused profound damage to park infrastructure unprecedented in the park’s 102-year history, including building damage, rock falls, deep cracks in roads and trails, and numerous breaks to water and sewer lines."

A map showing the location of the latest earthquakes at Kīlaeua is posted on the HVO website.