Kīlauea's summit swelling helps scientists forecast lava fountains

Episodic lava fountaining is a rare volcanic behavior involving repeated bursts of molten lava and gas with quiet pauses between episodes. Researchers still study what starts and stops these events.

Recent observations at Kīlauea show that summit swelling provides crucial data for forecasting lava fountains. This helps scientists better understand active volcanoes in Hawaii, Iceland, and Italy.