Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - June 24, 2018

By Kīlauea June 24, 2018

Kīlauea summit subsides and produces frequent earthquakes
 

Kīlauea summit subsides and produces frequent earthquakes...
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
On June 23, 2018 at 4:32 p.m. HST after approximately 17 hours of elevated seismicity, a collapse explosion occurred at the summit if Kīlauea. The energy released by the event was equivalent to a magnitude 5.3 earthquake. During the intense shaking, rockfalls cascaded down the northern margin of the caldera wall just below Uēkahuna Bluff sending rock dust into the air.

Fissure 8, lava channel, and ocean entry all active
 

Fissure 8, lava channel, and ocean entry all active...
Aerial view of lava fountain at Fissure 8 and uppermost lava channel during an early morning overflight of the lava flow field.
Lava spattering from a cone
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The spatter cone at fissure 8 is now about 55 m (180 ft) tall. Lava fountains rise only occasionally above that point, sending a shower of tephra (cooled lava fragments) over the rim.
Lava fountain with lava flow
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
At fissure 8, fountains provide a vigorous supply of lava that exits the cinder cone and drops over a spillway to enter a well-established lava channel that extends to the sea.
Lava flowing across the landscape
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
View to the southwest, looking "up" the lava channel. Lava flows from Fissure 8 (not pictured) through the open channel about 13 km (8 mi) to the ocean. Lava remains incandescent (glowing orange) along the entire length of the channel with sections of cooled lava (black) on the surface. The dark areas in the lower portion of the image are parts of the early lava flow from Fissure 8 before the relatively narrow channel developed.
Aerial view of lava channel
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Lava is entering the sea on the southern side of the entry area primarily through the open channel, but also along a 1 km (0.6 mi) wide area. The entry areas are marked by billowing laze plumes. The interaction of lava with the ocean creates "laze", a corrosive seawater plume laden with hydrochloric acid and fine volcanic particles that can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs. The effects of laze dissipate with distance.

Geologists continue to check ground cracks in area for changes

Geologist pointing into the distance along a road with a straight roadway beside him.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
USGS field crews track activity in and around Leilani Estates in Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone. Observations are also collected on a daily basis from cracks in the area of Highway 130, shown here (no changes in temperature, crack width, or gas emissions have been noted recently).


Summit collapse explosion on June 24 results in small plume and rockfalls
 

Small plume cloud from a crater
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
On June 24 a small ash-poor steam plume rose above the Halema‘uma‘u crater rim following another collapse explosion event at 4:12 p.m. HST (image taken at 4:27 p.m.). The plume was not detected by weather radar, and geologists estimate the plume rose less than about 600 m (1,968 ft) above the crater rim.

Get Our News

These items are in the RSS feed format (Really Simple Syndication) based on categories such as topics, locations, and more. You can install and RSS reader browser extension, software, or use a third-party service to receive immediate news updates depending on the feed that you have added. If you click the feed links below, they may look strange because they are simply XML code. An RSS reader can easily read this code and push out a notification to you when something new is posted to our site.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory News

Kīlauea News

Natural Hazards News

United States of America News

Volcano Hazards Program News