November 4, 2026—Close-up aerial photo of Halema‘uma‘u eruptive vents, Kīlauea summit

During a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on November 4, geologists were fortunate to have near-perfect views of both the north and southwest vents in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. Here, the north vent is on the right, filled with a lava pond around 100 feet (30 meters) across. Though not overflowing, the pond was vigorously roiling at the time of the flight. The southwest vent on the left also hosted a roiling lava pond, but it was sitting around 20 meters down with a more elongate shape, about 130 feet (40 meters) long and 65 feet (20 meters) wide. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.