November 21, 2025 — Aerial view of Halema‘uma‘u north vent

On November 21, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists conducted an aerial overflight of the eruptive vent complex at the summit of Kīlauea. Roiling lava ponds were visible in both the north and south vents during the overflight; the north vent's incandescent pond barely visible in this aerial photo looking down from the north. A couple hours after the overflight, both vents overflowed for the first time in advance of the eruption's likely thirty-seventh lava fountaining episode, forecast for the coming days. USGS photo by L. DeSmither.