Images

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea's East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of February 16 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as of February 24 is shown in red. Older Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō lava flows (1983-2016) are shown in gray.

A U.S. Geological Survey scientist used a custom-built, high-speed camera to remotely measure the temperature of spattering lava on the surface of Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake (background). This particular experiment, conducted from the Jaggar Museum overlook in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on December 10, 2016, was part of a NASA-funded research project.

Shallow landslides damaged homes and closed many roads in the San Francisco East Bay region as a result of storms in January and February, 2017.

Today (February 22, 2017), the breakout along the eastern edge of Kīlauea Volcano's episode 61g flow remains active and had advanced approximately 570 m (620 yards) since it was last mapped on February 14.

February 19 Bogoslof eruption plume as seen from Unalaska Island, 53 miles ESE of Bogoslof volcano. Photo taken from helicopter during fieldwork by AVO geologists at 5:22PM, approximately 14 minutes after the start of the eruption.

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea's East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of January 12 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as of February 16 is shown in red. Older Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō lava flows (1983-2016) are shown in gray.

Left: Astronauts James A. Lovell, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr., members of NASA's third team of moon explorers, carried cameras, communications equipment, and an Apollo Lunar Hand Tools scoop during a simulation of a lunar traverse at Kīlauea Volcano in December 1969.

This small-scale map shows Kīlauea's active East Rift Zone lava flow field in relation to the southeastern part of the Island of Hawai?i. The area of the active flow field as of January 12 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as of February 16 is shown in red. Older Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō lava flows (1983-2016) are shown in gray.

An FTIR instrument is set up on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater to measure volcanic gases from the summit lava lake. The open-path Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer continuously measures the gases in a volcanic plume, measuring the relative abundance of each.

A telephoto view of the east lake margin showed that the spattering was focused in small embayments created by promontories of cooled, congealed lava jutting from the vent wall.

At times, spattering along the east lake margin reached heights of 6-9 m (20-30 ft), as shown in this telephoto image.

View of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u Crater from the FTIR spectrometer monitoring location. At Hawaiian volcanoes, magma ascends from the mantle more than 60 km (about 40 mi) below the surface, to a reservoir less than 2 km (about 1.2 mi) deep. As the pressure decreases, the gases dissolved in the magma bubble out and escape.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory office building is located on the rim of Kīlauea Caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

At the coast, the lava flow in the Ahalanui area remains less than 0.1 miles from the Pohoiki boat ramp (left of center in this photo) in Isaac Hale Park. The active ocean entry is a few hundred yards east (right) of this photograph.

Today, Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake level was 21 m (69 ft) below the vent rim. A long stretch of active spattering was visible along the east lake margin from the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, an area that remains closed to the public due to ongoing hazards. The usual spatter source to the southeast was small by comparison.

HVO's geochemist uses a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) instrument to track volcanic gases emitted from the lava lake with Halema‘uma‘u Crater. These measurements help detect changes in gas composition, which can provide insight into the inner workings of Kīlauea Volcano.

The 61g flow breakout that started on February 10 on Pulama Pali was still active today. The flow front (shown here) is approximately 2.3 km (1.4 mi) from the base of the pali and 1.2 km (0.75 mi) from the ocean. The flow front is on the eastern side of the 61g flow field, and is outside the National Park boundary.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is located in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park adjacent to Jaggar Museum.

NASA ER-2 aircrafts have played an important role in Earth science research because of their ability to fly into the lower stratosphere at subsonic speeds, enabling virtual satellite simulation missions.

Photo looking toward the public viewing area (arrow) from near the ocean entry.

Photo of the upper portion of the "firehose" taken with a telephoto lens as the lava exits the 61g flow lava tube. There is no sign of a lava delta rebuilding as the lava continues to spill into the ocean.