2019-2020 Summit Water

Kīlauea Volcano is a shield volcano located on the eastern slope of Mauna Loa Volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i. The volcano is considered to be in the shield-building stage of Hawaiian volcanism.

Ponded water first appeared at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano in late July 2019. The pond slowly deepened until December 20, 2020, when an eruption from the crater wall sent lava pouring into the lake, which caused it to boil off.