December 19, 2025 — Episode 38 tephra deposits along Kīlauea caldera rim

During a monitoring helicopter overflight on December 19, 2025, USGS geologists captured this southwest looking photo of the tephra hill that has grown over the past year of episodic lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea. In the foreground, the smaller tephra hill that formed during episode 38 on December 6 is visible; the V3 livestream camera is buried beneath this smaller hill. There is a sharp boundary visible in this photo, between the new tephra deposited during episode 38 (dark brown) and the older lava flows (light brown). USGS photo by D. Downs.