Volcano Alert Level: Watch. Kīlauea has erupted episodically since Dec. 23, 2024, within the summit caldera located within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health urges residents and visitors to take precautions as elevated volcanic gas emissions from the recently paused Kīlauea eruption continue to produce vog (volcanic smog – hazy air pollution caused by the volcanic emissions) that can result in poor air quality across the islands.

The agency said the Black Diamond Pool was previously the site of a hydrothermal explosion, in July 2024, that sent rocks and mud flying hundreds of feet high and damaged a boardwalk. It prompted the closure of the area to visitors due to the damage and the potential for additional hazardous activity.

Since 2000, specialists at the National Museum of Natural History have produced the world’s foremost report on active volcanoes