Photo and Video Chronology — December 27, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption continues | U.S. Geological Survey

Photo and Video Chronology — December 27, 2024 — Kīlauea summit eruption continues

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory December 28, 2024

The eruption at Kīlauea volcano that began on Monday, December 23, continues at a low level as of December 27. Eruptive activity has been confined to the southwest part of the caldera.

Color photograph of erupting vent — Eruptive activity at Kīlauea around 7 a.m. HST on December 27, 2024, was minimal, with only a few sluggish lava flows oozing out from one of the vents that formed over the past few days. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Color photograph of new lava flows in crater

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This oblique aerial photo was captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on the morning of Friday, December 27, 2024, providing a northeast-looking overview of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater. At the time, eruptive activity was limited to low-level effusion from a couple vents on the southwest side of the crater floor, as evidenced by the silvery patch of lava near the lower-left corner of the image frame. The darker lava flows on the crater floor were emplaced during the first day of the eruption, December 23, 2024. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

Color photograph of volcanic vent in crater

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This aerial view shows the June 2023 vent on the south side of Halema‘uma‘u crater during a helicopter overflight at 10 a.m. HST on December 27, 2024. Pauses in the recent eruption that began on December 23 have resulted in drainback, during which some of the erupted lava drains back into the vent. Drainback on December 24 left a "bathtub ring" high lava mark on the June 2023 cone, shown here, that is 2-5 meters (6.6-16.4 feet) above the current lake surface. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Color photograph of new lava flows at edge of caldera floor

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During a helicopter overflight on the morning of Friday, December 27, 2024, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists were provided a low-level view of the eruptive vents in the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. Two eruptive vents were feeding short, silvery Pāhoehoe lava flows onto the crater floor, as seen in the lower right quadrant of this image. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

Color photograph of eruptive activity

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During the morning of December 27, 2024, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews observed only weak effusive activity at the December 23-27, 2024, eruptive vents in Halema‘uma‘u. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Color photograph of lava flows

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Since the December 2020 eruption began, an "island" of low-density tephra and lava has been submerged and floated on the surface of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake through each successive eruption. The "island" was buried on December 23, 2024, with only these two lighter-colored peaks visible, photographed by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews during a helicopter overflight at 10 a.m. on December 27, 2024. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Color photograph of lava flows at base of crater

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During a helicopter overflight on December 27, 2024, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews captured this view of the lava "pad" that formed during weak effusive activity from December 26-27, 2024, during weak effusive activity. The area of the lava pad is approximately 140 x 170 meters (459 x 558 feet) and elevated 2-3 meters (6.6-9.8 feet) above the darker lake surface around it, which formed on December 25, 2024. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Color photograph of caldera edge — Lava fountains reached heights of up to 80 meters (262 feet) high during the December 23-25, 2024, Kīlauea summit eruption and tephra was deposited to the south across the old Crater Rim Drive (a closed part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park). In this photo, taken around 10 a.m. HST on December 27, 2024, during a USGS Hawiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight, the medium-brown colored material draping the landscape to the south of the crater rim is the tephra from this eruption. It completely covered portions of Crater Rim Drive and is being more reworked by the wind with each passing day. The vents for the current eruption can be seen on the right side of the image along with plumes of volcanic gas. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

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USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted an overflight on the morning of Friday, December 27, 2024, of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater. At the time, eruptive activity was limited to low-level effusion from a couple vents on the southwest side of the crater floor, as evidenced by the silvery patch of lava near the lower-left corner of the video frame. The darker lava flows on the crater floor were emplaced during the first day of the eruption, December 23, 2024. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

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