July 14, 2026 — View into Halema‘uma‘u south vent, Kīlauea

During the July 14 monitoring overflight of Kīlauea's summit region, a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist captured this telephoto view into the south vent in Halema‘uma‘u. Unlike the incandescent but spattering north vent, the south vent hosted an active lava pond within. The pond was estimated to be sitting 25 meters (82 feet) down within the vent, which itself was estimated at 30 meters (98 meters) wide on the surface but narrowing with depth. Stretch marks in the pond's crust suggest active but slow lava circulation. The up direction in this image is approximately southwest. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.