October 23, 2024 — South rim of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea

This photo looks west along the south rim of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō. Red ash from the collapses during 2018 fills depressions in the lava flows, allowing moss and small ferns to grow. Green vegetation such as this was not observed by geologists near the rim during the 1983-2018 eruption, presumably due to high gas concentrations. USGS photo by M. Patrick.