May 13, 2021—Kīlauea summit eruption thermal map

A helicopter overflight on May 13, 2021, at approximately 11:30 a.m. HST allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. Active surface lava is limited to two small ponded areas in the western portion of the lake; the remainder of the lake has stagnated and is covered by cooling, solidified crust. The two small ponds of active lava have an area of about 2000 square meters, or about half an acre. This is less than one percent of the total lake surface area. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures. USGS map by M. Patrick.