UAS photo of crusted-over eastern portion of Halema‘uma‘u lava lake

This Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) photo from Tuesday, February 9, shows the stagnant, crusted-over eastern portion of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake. This photo is looking to the east, towards the easternmost end of the lake, with the active western fissure behind and out-of-view. For scale, the small island in the center of the photo is approximately 50 m (164 ft) in length. 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.