Kīlauea is home to America's first volcano observatory

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (middle right), perched on the rim of Kīlauea Volcano's summit caldera, overlooks Halema‘uma‘u Crater, where an active lava lake occupies a vent that opened in 2008 and continues to emit a volcanic gas plume today. INSET: HVO is located next to the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park museum named for the observatory's founder, Thomas A. Jaggar. USGS photos.