Kīlauea summit eruption sampling - September 11, 2023

During the morning of September 11, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted an overflight of the new eruption within the Kīlauea summit caldera. The eruption is occurring in the east portion of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and on the downdropped block to the east, which formed during the 2018 summit collapse. Halemaʻumaʻu crater is significant to Native Hawaiian communities as it is the home of Pele.

A safe location was identified on the downdropped block, from which a geologist, wearing protective equipment, could collect a molten sample of newly erupted material. The sample will provide information on magma storage and transport before it was erupted onto the surface as lava.  Access to this hazardous area is by permission from, and in coordination with, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.