UAS photo of active western portion of Halema‘uma‘u lava lake, Feb. 9

This Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) photo from Tuesday, February 9 shows the active western portion of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake. The western fissure continues to supply lava to the lava lake from an inlet at the base of the spatter cone (upper-left). For scale, the distance from the lava inlet to the edge of the main island is approximately 160 m (525 ft). USGS has special use permits from the National Park Service to conduct official UAS missions as part of HVO's mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce impacts of volcanic eruptions. Launching, landing, or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is prohibited under 36 CFR Closures & Public Use.