Thermal View of Lava Surface Deep within Halema'uma'u

This movie shows the lava surface deep within the Halema'uma'u vent cavity, captured with a thermal camera that can see through the thick fume. The lava surface is about 70 meters (230 ft) wide, and remains about 200 meters (660 ft) below the cavity rim. The surface is mostly crusted, with a slow migration from north to south. Small spattering sources occasionally break through the thin crust. Just a few minutes after this video was taken, violent degassing and spattering ensued, disrupting the entire lava surface, and the lava level dropped about 20 meters (66 ft).