
As seismicity levels return to normal, Chain of Craters Road and other areas previously closed in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park are now reopening / Rebecca Latson file photo
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park rangers have reopened Chain of Craters Road and nearby sites as unrest and seismicity return to normal levels in Kīlauea volcano’s upper East Rift Zone (ERZ).
Areas accessed by Chain of Craters Road, including coastal backcountry sites, Kulanaokuaiki Campground, Keanakākoʻi, and the Devastation Trail and parking area, are now open.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and park staff closely monitored a flurry of earthquakes that shook the ERZ near Puhimau Crater in the park on Tuesday, November 21. The activity, which decreased through the night, prompted park closures that were lifted Wednesday morning.
According to the USGS, the “brief seismic crisis” in the upper ERZ has subsided, greatly reducing any chance of eruptive activity in that area.
Seismic activity has returned to the pattern held since mid-October with the unrest focused in an area south/southwest of the caldera to the Koaʻe fault zone. As a precaution, two trails to the south/southwest of the caldera closed since October remain closed.