December 30, 2020—Kīlauea summit eruption thermal map

A helicopter overflight today (Dec. 30, 2020) at approximately 10:00 AM HST allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the eruption within Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The dimensions of the lava lake are 800 m (875 yd) E-W axis and 530 m (580 yd) in N-S axis. The most recent estimate of lake area is about 33 hectares (82 acres). The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures. USGS map by M. Patrick.