December 19, 2025 — Aerial view of Kīlauea tephra hill

Aerial photo showing the tephra hill on the western margin of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera), which has grown over the past year of 38 lava fountaining episodes within Halema‘uma‘u. The arcuate scarps are from landslides of tephra that have fallen back into the caldera near the north and south vents that have erupted all the material making up the tephra hill. This is another example of the many hazards that exist in the closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by D. Downs.