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The eruption continues in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea Volcano's summit, Island of Hawai‘i. Activity continues at two vents in Halema‘uma‘u wall; the lava lake continues to grow. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated.
The eruption continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea's summit. HVO field crews observing the activity overnight noted that at approximately 2:40 a.m. HST December 26, 2020, activity at west vent in the wall of Halema‘uma‘u rejuvenated: the west vent has became more active than the northern vent. Since the start of the eruption on December 20 at 9:30 p.m. HST, the northern vent has been dominant and erupting more vigorously than the weaker western vent. Over the past two days, the northern vent has slowly been drowned by the rising lava lake, and this photo (taken at about 5:15 a.m. HST on Dec. 26) shows that the west vent is now erupting more vigorously. At 3:30 a.m. HST today (Dec. 26), HVO field crews measured the rising lava lake as 178 m (583 ft) deep. USGS photo by H. Dietterich.
As of about 2:40 a.m. HST on December 26, 2020, activity at the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater wall at Kīlauea's summit has increased. This photo, taken at approximately 5:15 a.m. HST shows fountaining at the west vent, and lava pouring from the north end of the fissure into the growing lava lake. HVO field crews monitoring the activity overnight measured the west vent lava fountains as at least 10 m (32 ft) high. USGS photo H. Dietterich.
An aerial photograph of Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea Volcano’s summit shows changes to the ongoing eruption. Around 2:40 a.m. HST the western fissure, which has been weakly active for several days, increased in eruptive vigor as all three vents started producing spatter and streams of lava. Shortly before 3:00 a.m. HST the northern vent, which had been the dominant eruptive vent, was drowned by the lava lake and shut down. SO2 emission rates, as measured this morning, have dropped significantly but are still elevated. This USGS photo was taken at approximately 9:30 a.m. HST on December 26 by M. Patrick.
An aerial thermal image taken during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight this morning around 9:30 a.m. HST. The western fissure vents (upper left) remain active and continue to produce small lava streams that are feeding into the lava lake. The northern fissure has shut down, and field crews report that the lava lake is slowly draining at the northern fissure site (upper right). A cooled ledge of lava, like a ring on a bathtub, surrounds the perimeter of the lava lake as it slowly drains (cooler color surrounding the lava lake). This afternoon, the lake level was reported to have drained by up to several meters (yards). USGS thermal image by M. Patrick.
A zoomed photo of the Halema‘uma‘u crater lava lake at Kīlauea Volcano’s summit. The northern fissure vent (upper center) is inactive and slow lava lake draining continues at the site. The “bathtub ring” of cooled lava is visible around the perimeter of the lava lake, and the several meters (yards) of lava level drop is also visible around the rafted island (center). USGS photo by N. Deligne.
ANIMATED GIF: This animated image file (GIF) includes a series of webcam images—one image approximately every ten minutes—from the F1cam thermal camera located on the western rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, Kīlauea summit. The GIF shows the shift in eruptive activity early on December 26. At approximately 2:40 a.m. HST the western fissure vents (lower center) abruptly increased in eruptive vigor, and shortly after, the drowned northern vent (center left) shut down. Note the change in the lava lake surface motion starting in a general direction trending from north to south and ending up moving in a southwest to north direction by this afternoon. This change in surface motion was caused by the eruptions shift to the western vents, and the slow draining of the lava lake at the northern fissure site. The images, looped continuously, show a 24-hour period from 4:30 p.m. HST on December 25 to 4:30 p.m. HST on December 26. USGS GIF by L. DeSmither.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists continue to make observations and measurements of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater. At about 2:30 p.m. HST on December 26, geologists measured the lava lake depth at approximately 176 m (577 ft). The peak depth was measured at approximately 179 m (587 ft) yesterday, December 25, at around 9:10 p.m. HST. These measurements are consistent with field observations that the lava lake appears to be slowly draining at the northern fissure site. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick.
There have been no major changes in eruptive activity at Kīlauea summit this evening. Several small channels continue to feed the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater from the western fissure vents. Late afternoon shadows cast over the lava lake exaggerate the incandescence between the plates of crust. USGS photo taken by N. Bennington at approximately 5:00 p.m. HST on December 26.
A helicopter overflight on December 26, 2020, provided aerial views of the eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. This video, which is sped up 3 times, shows the lava lake and active west vent that rejuvenated just before 3 a.m. HST today. Visual and thermal imagery collected during the overflight are used to map the ongoing activity.
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