November 17, 2025 — Wooden post damaged by episode 36 of ongoing Kīlauea eruption

This wooden post used to mark the side of Crater Rim Drive within a hazardous closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The post has been slowly buried by tephra from lava fountains that have been episodically active during the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea at Halema‘uma‘u that started on December 23, 2025. During episode 36 lava fountaining on November 9, hot or possibly molten tephra falling from the lava fountains fell on or near the wooden pole, causing it to smolder and fall over, highlighting the hazardous nature of this closed section of Crater Rim Drive. USGS photo by N. Deligne.