Images

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists scouted the perimeter of Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor for a location to sample lava erupted by new vents that opened the morning of June 7, 2023. Initial lava flows inundated the crater floor (an area of approximately 1.5 square km or 370 acres) and added about 10 meters (32 feet) depth of new lava.

A summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano, within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, began at approximately 4:44 a.m. on June 7, 2023. Lava is flowing on the crater floor and there are several active vent sources. The eruption at Kīlauea’s summit is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and high levels of volcanic gas are the primary hazard of concern.

A summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano, within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, began at approximately 4:44 a.m. on June 7, 2023. Lava is flowing on the crater floor and there are several active vent sources. The eruption at Kīlauea’s summit is occurring within a closed area of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and high levels of volcanic gas are the primary hazard of concern.

A close-up view of the fissure vent in the southwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. As of 9:30 a.m., multiple vents remain active in the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea summit.

A telephoto view of a lava fountain in the east side of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u. This photo was taken during a helicopter overflight over 8 hours after the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u started on June 7, 2023. Fountain heights had already decreased from the early stages of the eruption.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist makes measurements of the rising active lava lake using a laser rangefinder mid-day on June 7, 2023.

In the early evening on June 7, 2023, the fissure in the southwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u had built up walls of spatter around the fountain. The fissure was continuing to pour lava down the talus slope into the active lava lake below. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Data recorded on June 7, 2023, by five seismometers located in Kīlauea summit region. The data is shown as spectrograms, which display the energy of seismic events (vertical axis) occurring over time (horizontal axis).

Duane Champion (shown here on the left, with two coworkers) helped us to unlock Pele’s secrets by studying the magnetic properties preserved in lava flows. A good friend and valuable colleague, he greatly improved our ability to reconstruct past geological events using paleomagnetism. He will be missed.

Wendy Stovall photographed at a monitoring station in the Prince William Sound, Alaska. 

Although most economic loss is concentrated along the west coast, the distribution of relative earthquake risk, as measured by the Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratio (AELR), is spread throughout the country and it reinforces the fact that earthquakes are a national problem.

Map showing distribution of average annualized earthquake loss by region. The high concentration of loss in California and the West Coast is consistent with that region’s high seismic hazard, significant population, and building exposure. 

Jonathan Godt is the Program Coordinator for Landslide Hazards and leads the only federal program dedicated to landslide science and risk reduction.

Landslides near the 2017 Thomas fire burn area that initiated during a series of atmospheric river events in December 2022 and January 2023.  

Example of a landslide that initiated within the footprint of the 2019 Cave Fire during the 9 January 2023 rainstorm. The landslide source area is shown in the upper left of this image. The debris-flow runout path is shown in the center and lower right of this image.

San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico landslide lonitoring site. The San Lorenzo monitoring station is located in a moderately vegetated area underlain by Cretaceous volcaniclastic rock. 

Dr. Donya-Frank Gilchrist of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center facilitated a session on "Approaches to Resilience from the International Caribbean" at the 2023 Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP) Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida.

From left to right: Meaghan Emory, Dr. Donya Frank-Gilchrist, Dr.

Dr. Donya-Frank Gilchrist of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center facilitated a session on "Approaches to Resilience from the International Caribbean" at the 2023 Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP) Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist documents the new eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The eruption began just after 4:30 p.m. on January 5, 2023, and remains confined to Halema‘uma‘u crater. USGS image by D. Downs.

The KWcam webcam, on the west rim of Kīlauea caldera, was upgraded on January 4, 2023, to a more advanced model, which provides a slightly wider view and higher image quality. This should provide an improved view of any future activity in Halema‘uma‘u. In this photo, an HVO scientist begins the process of the webcam swap. USGS photo by M. Patrick.