United States - March 04, 2025 Hawaii - Only weak vent activity greeted the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory team on their monitoring helicopter pass over Kīlauea’s summit at 8 a.m. HST on March 4, 2025. It was a sleepy start. Barely a whisper of steam escaped the crater. Scientists might’ve thought it was a snooze-fest. But don’t be fooled. Weak effusive activity bubbled away all day. A slow trickle of lava oozed across the crater floor. It was steady, quiet, almost teasing. Then, at around 2 p.m., Kīlauea roared awake. Fountaining erupted with fierce energy. Lava shot skyward in a blazing spectacle. A massive flow surged across the crater, unstoppable. The volcano turned on the fireworks. Experts gaped as nature unleashed its molten fury in a jaw-dropping display.