Images

This view shows Kīlauea's summit lava from the south, with the east slope of Mauna Loa in the background and Mauna Kea in the distance. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the Hawai‘i National Park Service Jaggar Museum buildings are visible on the rim of Kīlauea's summit caldera, behind Halema‘uma‘u.

This photo looks south toward the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u. The April-May 2015 lava flow is not as obvious from this perspective, but the small overflows from October 2016 stand out a bit better. They are visible as shiny pads of lava at the upper left and lower right sides of the lake.

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea's East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the active flow field as of October 19 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on November 3 is shown in red. There have been no new surface flows and the only change is at the Kamokuna ocean entry.

This photo shows the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Service Jaggar Museum buildings on the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, overlooking the summit caldera. Mauna Loa volcano looms in the background.

Halema‘uma‘u Crater, shown here, is about a kilometer (0.6 miles) across and contains a lava lake in a smaller crater, informally called the Overlook crater, at its southeast edge. The lava lake is about 250 m (~820 ft) long and 180 m (~590 ft) wide and, when this photo was taken, the surface of the lake was about 15 m (~50 ft) below the Overlook crater rim.

There has been little change at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō over the past several months. This photo, looking northeast, shows Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's current crater, at the center of the image with its outgassing vents, and a smaller pit at lower left hosting a small lava pond. The high point of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is atop the cliff near the left edge of the photo.

This photo looks out onto the floor of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō from near the high point on the northwest rim of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone. The west edge of the main crater is to the left and the pit with the lava pond is filled with fume just right of center.

Lava continues to flow into the ocean near the location historically known as Kamokuna. This image, taken from near the top of the Pūlama pali, shows the white plume at the ocean entry. The white plume is formed by the interaction of lava and seawater is a corrosive mixture of super-heated steam, hydrochloric acid, and tiny particles of volcanic glass

Lava entering the ocean at Kamokuna has formed a shelf-like delta that extends seaward along the older sea cliff. The active delta is now just over 16 acres in size. The FEMA emergency access road through Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park ends where it was cut by the episode 61g lava flow.

The lava lake was spattering in two places along its southeast edge at the time this photo was taken. Lava wells up into the lake nears its northern edge, which is out of sight to the left, and generally flows to the south where it sinks back down along the margin of the lake.

The Pūlama pali is one of several steep fault scarps that cut the south flank of the Island of Hawai‘i. This image shows the steepest part of the Pūlama pali as viewed from the coastal plain. The fume on the face of the pali marks the trace of the active lava tube carrying lava to the ocean, which is behind the photographer.

Helicopter transport is the only way HVO scientists and technicians can install and maintain many monitoring instruments on the Island of Hawai‘i, conduct field experiments or map new volcanic deposits in inaccessible areas, and make direct observations of eruptions.

Lush thicket of staghorn coral in the Dry Tortugas National Park

At the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory Electronics Lab, technicians build, test, and prepare scientific instruments to be deployed for monitoring volcanoes worldwide.

Seismometers (instruments for recording earthquakes) are tested and fitted at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory before going out into the field.

The east Kamokuna ocean entry was still active on October 25, with multiple entry points spread along the eastern side of the lava delta. Lava dribbling into the sea at the front of the delta creates a billowy white plume, which looks harmless, but is actually a mixture of superheated steam, hydrochloric acid, and tiny shards of volcanic glass.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist puts the finishing touches on a new permanent GPS station on the slopes on Mauna Loa. The GPS antenna, protected from the elements by the grey radome, is solidly attached to the ground via a cement-reinforced steel rod. GPS is a critical tool for tracking ground motion on Hawaiian volcanoes. USGS photo.

The west Kamokuna lava delta was completely inactive, with no lava entering the ocean.

The Volcano Distater Assistance Program (VDAP) maintains an equipment cache located at the USGSS Cascades Volcano Observatory. The volcano monitoring equipment can be rapidly deployed worldwide when needed.

An aerial image of the east Kamokuna lava delta this morning shows lava entering the ocean at the front of the delta. Photo by Rick Hazlett, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Looking down from the helicopter, cracks are visible on the surface of the east Kamokuna lava delta. These cracks are reminders that lava deltas are inherently unstable features that can collapse without warning.