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Kīlauea's summit eruption continues on the Island of Hawai‘i; Halema‘uma‘u west vent erupts lava into the lava lake, which was 226 m (741 ft) deep this morning, April 21. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear—monitor the eruption from with
HVO scientists collect detailed data to assess hazards and understand how the eruption is evolving at Kīlauea's summit, all of which are shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers. Access to this hazardous area is by permission from, and in coordination with, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
A view of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i, showing the active western fissure with rising fumes, the active western portion of the lava lake (lighter colored area in the middle of the photo), and the big island within the lava lake (right). Lava continues to enter the active lava lake and currently has an effusion rate of less than one cubic meters per second (<1 m3/s). This photograph was taken on April 21, 2021, at 11:49 a.m. HST from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u, an area within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public due to safety reasons. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.
April 20, 2021 — Kīlauea
Eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, Kīlauea summit — April 20, 2021
Lava continues to erupt from the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and feed the active lava lake at Kīlauea summit. Volcanic gas emissions from the west vent (lower left) remain elevated and were last measured on April 14 at about 950 t/d. This photo was taken from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u, in an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public due to safety reasons. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on April 20, 2021.
A telephoto view of the southern lava lake crust and Halema‘uma‘u crater wall at the summit of Kīlauea. Many rockfalls from the steep and unstable crater walls of Halema‘uma‘u have deposited large boulders onto the stagnant lava surface over the past few months. This photo was taken from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u looking southeast. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on April 20, 2021.
A telephoto view of the northwestern point of the main island within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit. A rockfall scar (center left) remains after a small collapse of the island was observed by field geologists around 12:43 p.m. HST on April 20, 2021. A sliver of the active lava lake surface is visible at the bottom of this photo. USGS photo taken from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u by L. DeSmither.
A telephoto view of the west vent and lava lake inlet within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava erupting from the west vent (upper left) continues to feed into the active lava lake through a wide inlet near the base of the cone (center right). This photo was taken from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, in an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public due to safety reasons. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on April 20, 2021.
The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video shows spattering from a small vent at the western fissure.
The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video is shown at 20x speed and shows the lava supplying the lake from the western fissure.
The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video is shown at 30x speed and shows the lava supplying the lake from the western fissure, with scattered crustal foundering across the lake surface.
During a Kīlauea summit helicopter overflight on Friday, April 16, an HVO scientist captured this photo of the erupting western fissure and surrounding lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u. The active western potion of the lava lake, as seen here, measured approximately 300 m (984 ft) from end-to-end at the time. USGS image.
This close-up of the erupting western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u was captured during a helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's summit on Friday, April 16. Favorable winds allowed geologists to photograph the eruption from unusual angles, and here the fissure is viewed from the north side. The portion of the fissure that was active through early March can be seen towards the upper-right, marked by red oxidized lava fragments. The presently active portion of the fissure, marked by the incandescence at center, is building a spatter cone that now stands approximately 15 m (49 ft) above the lava lake surface. The lava tube feeding the inlet to the lake (top) is believed to wrap around the spatter cone on the left side of this image, since a small lava breakout can be seen in the far lower-left. USGS image.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a routine helicopter overflight of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Active surface lava remains limited to a small area in the western portion of the lake, with the eastern portion solidified at the surface.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the east rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater to make observations of Kīlauea's summit lava lake and survey the eastern portion of the crater. This video compilation shows different aspects of the lake activity in the western portion of the crater.
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