Changes to the west vent area in Halema‘uma‘u over the past month

This animated gif features one V1cam image, taken around noon each day, from February 1, 2022, through March 4, 2022.



At the beginning of February, there was still a prominent enclosed cone over the west vent area within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Over the past month, that cone has broken down and lava has infilled around its craggy remains. Currently, the area formerly occupied by the west vent cone has multiple small spatter cone features effusing lava. These features resemble those noted on the east portion of Halemaumau crater floor recently, visible in this photo: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/january-27-2022-kilauea.

The V1cam provides a live view of the west vent in Halemaʻumaʻu and the lava lake. The camera is located on the northwest rim of the caldera, and looks east" https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/v1cam-west-vent-halemaumau-and-lava-lake.