February 26, 2026 — Halemaʻumaʻu overflight, Kīlauea summit

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) geologists on a routine KILAUEA summit monitoring helicopter overflight on Thursday, February 26, collected visual and thermal images to map out the changes on the crater floor following episode 42 lava fountaining at KILAUEA summit that took place on February 15, 2026. HVO geologists also landed briefly on the crater floor to collect a cooled lava sample from episode 42 lava flows, with permission from HAWAII Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by M. Patrick.