Photo and Video Chronology – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory – September 16, 2022

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory September 16, 2022

Photos and videos of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory response to seismic unrest in American Samoa, recent activity on Kīlauea volcano, and fieldwork on Mauna Loa volcano.

American Samoa

September 14 — Tutuila seismic station installation

Color photograph of scientist deploying instrument in the field — A USGS scientist installs a seismic station on Tutuila island in American Samoa. This station joins several other stations recently installed in the Manu‘a Islands to monitor activity in American Samoa. USGS photo by A. Ellis.

September 8 — Ta‘ū Island Coastal Tuff Cone

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On the northwest coast of Ta‘ū Island (near Faleāsao village), half of a tuff cone, which is likely thousands of years old, is visible. Ocean waves have eroded away the other half of the tuff cone, which formed when hot magma interacted with either shallow groundwater or sea water. USGS image by J. Chang.

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The tuff cone on the northwest coast of Ta‘ū Island (near Faleāsao village) is mostly composed of fine-grained ash with larger lithic clasts (fragments of older rock material). Some of these lithic clasts are larger than 1 meter or 3 feet in diameter and are scattered throughout the tuff cone. USGS image by J. Chang.

Kīlauea

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. The current eruption at Kīlauea's summit began at approximately 3:20 p.m. HST on September 29, 2021. Lava activity is confined within Halema‘uma‘u crater, in the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

September 15 —Kīlauea summit monitoring shift

Color photograph of a volcanic landscape — As HVO geologists pulled up in the car to make measurements of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake the morning of September 15, 2022, this was the spectacular sight that met them at the end of Crater Rim Drive. Steam rose from ground cracks across Kīlauea caldera and clouds were spilling over the eastern caldera rim. The sun had just risen above the low cloud cover and made the remaining deposits of Pele's hair glisten like patches of gold on the crater rim. USGS photo by J. Schmith

Color photograph of lava lake — The steaming summit lava lake of Kīlauea in the 7 a.m. morning light of September 15. HVO geologists heard the west vent softly puffing and an insistent high-pitched hissing from the steaming northeastern embayment of the active lava pond in Halema‘uma‘u. A deeper toned hiss occasionally joined in from somewhere on the eastern side of the lake. Big shiny silvery plates of cooled crust flowed slowly across the surface of the active pond towards the eastern edge, where small splashes against the rim showed the hot glowing lava below. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

Color photograph of volcanic vent — The western vent in Halema‘uma‘u was steaming heavily the morning of September 15. A small glowing spot could be seen when looking through the laser rangefinder instrument, which is used to measure distances. This close-up view also revealed a small blanket of tephra on the slope of the cone that has been created by spattering at the vent. HVO geologists did not witness any spattering while on the caldera rim the morning of September 15, but they saw that the vent is still feeding lava to the active pond though a crusted-over inlet. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

September 12 —Overflight video of Kīlauea summit

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A routine helicopter overflight of the summit of Kīlauea provided airborne views of the lava within Halema‘uma‘u crater. The active lava lake is limited to the western portion of the crater floor, near the main source of white fume. The remainder of the crater floor consists of solidified lava flows.

September 8 — Evening view of Halema‘uma‘u lava lake

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Evening views of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater on September 8, 2022. Solidified crust founders and sinks at the lava lake margin, and the lava lake sloshes. Lava spatters along the margin of the lake.

Mauna Loa

September 8 — Sulphur Cone MultiGas Station Maintenance

Color photograph of volcano monitoring station — The gas monitoring site at an elevation of 3,430 meters (11,240 feet) above sea level on the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa measures volcanic gases (sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and water vapor), fumarole temperature, and meteorological parameters. Monitoring the ratio of different emitted gases may provide information on restless behavior and eruptive status at Mauna Loa. USGS image by T. Elias.

Color photograph of volcanic landscape — On September 8, 2022, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff replaced the gas measurement station at Sulphur Cone on the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Field staff (in orange) and the gas monitoring station are visible right of center in this aerial view, which also shows the 1950 fissure and Sulfur Cone. Sulfur Cone is at an elevation of 3,430 meters (11,240 feet) above sea level. USGS image by T. Elias.

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Sulphur Cone, high on the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, was blanketed by sulfur crystals when it was named in 1921. A subsequent visit noted that molten sulfur had flowed down the flank of the cinder and spatter cone. The remnants of that yellow flow can be seen here on the flank of the cone. Heating along the fissure of the voluminous 1950 eruption of Mauna Loa may have melted the accumulated sulfur around the Cone creating molten flows. For more information, see this "Volcano Watch" article: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/news/volcano-watch-peculiar-flow-sulphur-cone-along-mauna-loa. USGS image by T. Elias.

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A photograph showing the inside of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) gas monitoring site at Sulphur Cone, high on the flanks of the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. This MultiGas station is one of several that HVO has deployed on the Island of Hawai‘i. The stations measure volcanic gases (sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and water vapor), fumarole temperature, and meteorological parameters. The data are telemetered back to HVO, where scientists can view it remotely. USGS image by T. Elias.

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At the Sulphur Cone MultiGas station on the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, a thermocouple is housed within plastic tubing to protect it from the harsh environment. The thermocouple, which measures temperature, is inserted into a nearby fumarole (an area emitting volcanic gases) to detect subsurface changes in temperature. USGS image by T. Elias.

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A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist peers into the fissure that erupted in 1950 from the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa near Sulphur Cone. Water vapor and sulfur gases are still emitted from this fissure and surrounding area, which is at an elevation of 3,430 meters (11,240 feet) above sea level. The contrasting colors set against a backdrop of steam and fume make for a dramatic and beautiful scene. USGS image by T. Elias.

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Hawai‘i residents may find this photo reminiscent of the Ha‘akulamanu (Sulphur Banks) area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, though the photo was taken high up on the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa! In an area known as Sulphur Cone, at an elevation of 3,430 meters (11,240 feet) above sea level, there are bright-yellow crystalline sulfur deposits present. USGS image by T. Elias.

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Sulfur features northeast of Sulphur Cone at an elevation of 3,430 meters (11,240 feet) above sea level. Sulfur has a low melting temperature, about 112 degrees Celsius (234 degrees Fahrenheit), slightly above the boiling point of water. Scientists hypothesize that the 1950 eruption of the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa substantially raised the ground temperature, causing the sulfur to melt and form a flow ranging in thickness from 10 to 50 cm (4-20 inches) and covering about 380 square meters (450 square yards). USGS image by T. Elias.