October 22, 2026—Helicopter landing site in Halema‘uma‘u

On October 22, 2026, a crew of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists traveled via helicopter to the Halema‘uma‘u crater floor to collect lava samples from Kīlauea summit eruption episode 55, which occurred on October 17. Here, one of the geologists is seen loading into the aircraft with the eruptive vent complex visible to the right about 1,000 feet (300 meters) away. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.