May 12, 2026 — Halema‘uma‘u crater landing and sampling

During a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit on May 12, 2026, scientists landed on Halema‘uma‘u crater floor with permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This area, culturally significant and sacred to Native Hawaiians as the home of Pele, is only accessible via helicopter and is covered with a patchwork of lava flows from lava fountaining episodes over the past year and a half. Scientists collected a sample of lava flows from episode 46 that occurred on May 5, 2026. Ongoing analyses of samples of each eruptive episode allow scientists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to track changes in magma temperature and chemistry over time, which informs hazard assessments and scientific understanding of the ongoing eruption. USGS photo by P. Dotray.