Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - July 12, 2018

This compilation of video from HVO's early morning overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone shows (1) lava from fissure 8 moving through a perched channel toward the northeast, (2) the diverted channelized ‘a‘ā flow west of Kapoho Crater, and (3) a vigorous ocean entry along the southern coastline in the vicinity of Ahalanui Beach Park (Warm Ponds).

A whirlwind spins skyward on the northwest side of the fissure 8 cinder cone in this video taken on July 10, 2018. A number of whirlwinds have formed in the area due to the extreme heat of the open lava channel heating the air above it. As the heated air quickly rises, a light wind can push the air column to begin a rotation, which spins faster as it is stretched and narrowed. Because of recurring rainfall near the fissure, moisture and clouds made the whirlwind easier to see for the brief time period it was active. The brown plume is gases rising from the fissure 8 lava fountain.

This time-lapse video shows Halema‘uma‘u and Kīlauea Caldera as seen from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. It includes roughly one image for every day between April 14, 2018, and July 11, 2018. The lava lake is visible early in the video, with overflows onto the caldera floor on April 23, but the lake vanishes from sight in early May as pressure in the summit magma reservoir decreases. Gas and ash plumes associated with explosive activity are visible in May. Large-scale subsidence of the caldera floor around Halema‘uma‘u begins at the end of May and continues to the present. The volume of Halema‘uma‘u is now more than seven times larger than it was before the onset of this subsidence.