Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – October 20, 2020

Search here
By Kīlauea October 20, 2020

Direct gas sampling at Sulphur Banks on September 30, 2020

Color photograph of two scientists sampling a volcanic fumarole
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
As part of routine monitoring efforts, HVO gas scientists collected helium samples from fumaroles in the Sulphur Banks, or Ha‘akulamanu, area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on September 30, 2020. Helium can pass through the glass of typical gas sampling bottles, so copper tubing is necessary for the specialized sample. Ratios of different helium isotopes tell scientists if the source of helium is deeper (from the mantle) or shallower (from the crust). USGS photo by T. Elias.
Photograph of tubing inserted into a fumarole
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Tubing inserted into a fumarole at the Sulphur Banks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park allows HVO gas scientists to sample gas. The gas travels through the tube into gas sampling bottles for later analyses. USGS photo by M. Warren.

 

Color photograph of native sulfur crystals
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Different sulfur gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can react with each other to deposit crystals of pure native sulfur at sites of degassing called fumaroles. The crystals picture here formed within a Sulphur Banks area fumarole in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by T. Elias.
Color photograph of yellow native sulfur crystals
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
A close-up image of native sulfur crystals that formed within fumaroles at the Sulphur Banks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In addition to sulfur species and other gases, volcanoes emit water vapor. Here, some of the vapor has condensed to liquid water and formed droplets visible on the sulfur crystals. USGS photo by P. Nadeau. 

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.

Hawaii News

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory News

Kīlauea News

Natural Hazards News

United States of America News

Volcano Hazards Program News