This nearly-vertical thermal image, taken from a helicopter, shows ...

This nearly-vertical thermal image, taken from a helicopter, shows the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u. The lava level has been variable over time, and today it was near the level of the deep inner ledge, which is approximately 70 meters (230 feet) below the floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater. The lava lake, mostly covered by large crustal plates, has a steady motion in which lava rises in the northwestern portion of the lake and flows to the southeastern margin, where it sinks (often accompanied by spattering).