Kīlauea summit eruption - Dec. 31, 2020 at 10 a.m. HST

HVO field crews continue to monitor the eruption in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit. Over the past day, the main island of cooler, solidified lava floating in the lava lake continued to drift slowly to the west while the other 10 or so small islands stayed put around the east end of the lake. The main island measured about 250 m (820 ft) in length, 135 m (440 ft) in width, and about 3 ha (7 acres) in area based on the Dec. 30 thermal map. Measurements yesterday evening (Dec. 30) show that the island surface was about 6-8 m (20-26 ft) above the lake surface. HVO scientists monitor the eruption from within an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for safety reasons. USGS photo by M. Patrick and B. Carr.