Images

Eruptive activity was paused during the Friday, March 10, overflight of Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. Numerous outgassing sites were present on the crater floor, but not active lava was present on the surface. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Lava samples collected near Mauna Loa’s fissure 3 vent (shown in this December 7 overflight photo) are glassy and contain bubbles and some very small (200 microns or 0.008 inches long) minerals like plagioclase and pyroxene, as shown in the grey-scale microscope image inset. USGS photos by Kendra J. Lynn. 

The top panel is from before the 2018 Kīlauea eruption and shows two steps corresponding to slow slip events (SSEs).  The bottom panel is from after 2018 and shows no evidence of step-like motion indicative of SSEs, although the slight curve does suggest that a post-eruption increase in seaward motion is slowly returning to background.  The inset

A Koa‘e kea (white-tailed tropic bird) was flying through the mist and steam within Halema‘uma‘u crater the morning of February 15, 2023. These birds are frequently seen flying around the crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS image by K. Mulliken.

Lava lake activity within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues. On February 14, low fountaining was present at the central vent, which was supplying lava into a channel that flowed towards the large eastern lake. USGS image by M. Patrick.

During a Kīlauea summit eruption field shift on February 15, 2023, HVO geologists were able to briefly glimpse the active lava on Halema‘uma‘u crater floor between shifting mist and rain. The lava pond in the central portion of the crater floor has a small lava fountain, near which a rampart that is nearly 8 meters (26 feet) tall has formed.

The western lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active but sluggish. Since the eruption began in early January, the main focus of activity has been at the eastern and central lakes. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

On February 14, 2023, low fountaining was also present at the central vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava upwelling at this vent then flowed eastward through a channel towards the larger, eastern lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Low fountaining continues in the eastern lake, in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Several small islands of solidified lava are present in the lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The eruption in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues. Over the past week, the main source of lava effusion has shifted from the large eastern lake (right side of image) towards the smaller lake in the center of the crater (left side of image). This central vent has supplied lava towards the east that has poured into the eastern lake basin.

A close up of the small lava fountain at the central vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption on February 3, 2023. Recent HVO helicopter overflights have been unable to produce accurate structure-from-motion models of the Halema‘uma‘u crater floor due to the thick volcanic gas plume; for this reason, no updated statistics can be provided for the average crater floor elevation or the erupted lava volume.

During a Kīlauea summit morning monitoring overflight on February 2, 2023, HVO scientists documented activity in the ongoing Halema‘uma‘u eruption, shown in this photo looking to the SW at 7:30 a.m. HST. Mauna Loa is visible in the background. USGS image by K. Lynn

View of the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea's summit around 7:30 a.m. HST on February 2, 2023, looking to the south/southeast. Lava lake activity continues, and a large overflow from the central pond was active during the morning overflight. USGS image by K. Lynn.

View of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, during an early morning monitoring overflight on February 2, 2023. An overflow from the pond just east of the main island can be seen in the center of the image. A small ooze-out in the northwest part of the crater can also be seen on the right side of the image. View looking approximately southward.

View of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, during an early morning monitoring overflight on February 2, 2023. An overflow from the pond just east of the main island can be seen in the center of the image. Multiple shifting islands of solidified lava can be seen within the eastern active lava lake located southeast (below and to the left) of the overflow.

A helicopter overflight on February 2, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The largest lava lake is located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

A helicopter overflight on February 2, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The largest lava lake is located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

A koa‘e kea bird (white-tailed tropicbird) flies by the small lava lake in the central portion of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. In recent days islands of solidified lava have migrated across the lake surface. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the shifting islands in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.