June 27, 2026 — Episode 50 lava bomb

While visiting the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists found volcanic bombs (fragments that are larger than 2.5 inches or 64 mm) that were deposited during Kīlauea summit eruption lava fountaining episode 50, which were strewn across the tephra cone on the southwest side of Halema‘uma‘u crater. Some of these were the size of beach balls, such as the one photographed here with a phone for scale. Despite their size, these bombs are extremely low-density and lightweight. The bomb pictured here was collected to analyze geochemically so scientists can learn more about the magma supplying the eruption. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.