December 2, 2025—Halemaʻumaʻu crater wall and new lava flows on floor

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory often gets asked how long it will take the lava flows to fill in Halemaʻumaʻu crater and spill onto the upper caldera floor of Kīlauea. This photo, taken from the floor of the crater, shows the lava flows from episode 37 (November 25) where they contact the north wall of the crater, which rises several hundred feet above.  On average, lava flows at the base of Halemaʻumaʻu have an elevation of 3219 feet (981 meters) above sea level (as of November 25, after episode 37), while the northeastern part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) above it is at an elevation of about 3500 feet (1067 meters) above sea level. This means that an addition 300 feet (91 meters) of lava will need to fill the crater before lava flows spill onto the upper caldera floor. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.