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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – March 31, 2021

By Kīlauea March 31, 2021

Kīlauea's summit eruption continues on the Island of Hawai‘i; Halema‘uma‘u west vent erupts lava into the lava lake, which was 224 m (735 ft) deep this morning, March 31. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear—monitor the eruption from within the clo

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.

March 30, 2021 — Kīlauea, 100 days of lava in Halema‘uma‘u

Color photograph of lava lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The western fissure remains active, supplying lava to the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo shows a close-up of the inlet where lava enters the lake. The motion of the lava stream has been slow but continuous. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of lava
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This photo shows a close-up of the inlet where lava enters the lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. A lava crust forms around the source of the lava stream, and occasionally fractures and is carried away by the current. Here, this sequence is beginning with a crack developing in the crust. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of lava lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This photo shows Halema‘uma‘u Crater from the western caldera rim, looking east. Active surface lava is limited to the western portion of the lake, and can be seen as the silvery surface just below the center of the image. The eastern portion of the lake is solidified at the surface, and is visible just above the center. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
Color photograph of vent and lava
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This photo was taken from the western caldera rim, and looks down up on the western fissure supplying lava into the lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Incandescence is visible in a small vent opening in the lower left portion of the image. In the upper right, the lava stream at the lake inlet slowly flows eastward. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

 

March 29, 2021 — Kīlauea, view of active lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u

Color photograph of lava lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. The active surface lava lake, shown in this photo, is limited to the western portion of the lake between the western fissure complex (center left) and the main island (right). In this view looking to the northwest, the main effusion source of lava into the lake is visible as a saw-tooth line at the northeastern (right) base of the western fissure complex. Small scale crustal foundering events continue within the active lava lake. USGS photo by N. Deligne on March 29, 2021.

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