During 10-16 December, eruptive activity continued at Kīlauea's Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent. Various vents within Puʻu ʻŌʻō were occasionally active and new lava flows covered parts of the crater floor. No surface lava flows were visible on the coastal flat or Pūlama pali. During 15-16 December, only steady weak tremor was recorded at Kīlauea's summit, tremor at Puʻu ʻŌʻō was at moderate levels, and slight deformation occurred.

Source: US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)

Geological Summary. Kīlauea overlaps the E flank of the massive Mauna Loa shield volcano in the Island of Hawaiʻi. Eruptions are prominent in Polynesian legends; written documentation since 1820 records frequent summit and flank lava flow eruptions interspersed with periods of long-term lava lake activity at Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the summit caldera until 1924. The 3 x 5 km caldera was formed in several stages about 1,500 years ago and during the 18th century; eruptions have also originated from the lengthy East and Southwest rift zones, which extend to the ocean in both directions. About 90% of the surface of the basaltic shield volcano is formed of lava flows less than about 1,100 years old; 70% of the surface is younger than 600 years. The long-term eruption from the East Rift Zone between 1983 and 2018 produced lava flows covering more than 100 km², destroyed hundreds of houses, and added new coastline.