Images

At the summit of Kīlauea, the weather cleared, but inflation turned to deflation and the lava lake level dropped, so the spattering that had been visible from overlooks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park the past two days is no longer visible today. But, it was a beautiful day to view Halema‘uma‘u Crater from the Jaggar Museum Overlook!

Zooming in on the lava lake, a closer camera view of the spattering lake surface late this afternoon.

In concert with inflationary tilt, the level of Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake rose over the past day and was measured at 28 m (92 ft) below the vent rim this morning.

USGS scientist measures Earth's gravity field at a benchmark on the west flank of Mount St. Helens. Sediment-filled channel of South Fork Toutle River is visible in the distance. The drainage was heavily impacted by mudflows spawned by the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Drew Downs in Iceland with a glacier in hte background.

Otter Rock, Oregon. The Oregon coast is one of the areas that could be affected by a large earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone.

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea's East Rift Zone lava flow field at the coast. The area of the active flow field as of August 12 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on August 19 is shown in red. The base is a Digital Globe image from January 2016.

Aerial view of the Kamokuna ocean entry. Lava is reaching the sea along a broad area about 1 km (0.6 miles) long. In this view, the 61g lava flow is lighter gray in color compared to older lavas.

HVO geologist uses a handheld device that can receive very-low-frequency (VLF) radio waves in order to measure lava discharge within a tube. This device, simply called a VLF, measures the shape of the electromagnetic field induced around an active lava tube by transmissions from very-low-frequency radio transmitters scattered around the globe.

HVO geologist conducts a VLF (very low frequency) survey across the episode 61g lava tube to measure the depth and cross-sectional area of lava flowing within the tube.

Aerial view of the Kamokuna ocean entry and the Emergency Access Road cut by the 61g lava flow. 61g lavas are lighter in color than older lavas on the coastal plain. Upslope, a trail of fume marks the lava tube as it passes over the pali.

On August 6, a rockfall from the steep walls of Overlook crater, which contains Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake, triggered an explosive event that deposited spatter (molten lava) and solid rock fragments on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater. That event was just the latest in a series of explosions that began in 2008.

This aerial video footage, filmed by USGS in late July 2016, features Kīlauea Volcano's summit vent within Halema‘uma‘u Crater.

People who venture too close to Kīlauea's Kamokuna ocean entry—by land or by sea—are at risk from multiple hazards associated with lava flowing into the sea. The white plume formed by the interaction of lava and seawater is a corrosive mixture of super-heated steam, hydrochloric acid, and tiny particles of volcanic glass, all of which should be avoided.

The beauty of Kīlauea Volcano's eastern Kamokuna ocean entry can be enjoyed from a safe distance upwind of where lava flows into the sea. The eastern entry site (shown here) has created a lava delta that is now about 5 acres in size; as this delta grows larger, so does the risk of a sudden collapse.

During a special media briefing today, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists (left) and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park rangers (right) talked about the hazards associated with Kīlauea Volcano's active lava flow and ocean entries, the exciting scientific opportunities posed by flow 61G, and how visitors can safely hike to and view the beauty of lava flowing o

Close-up view (using a zoom lens from a safe distance) of lava streaming into the sea at the eastern Kamokuna ocean entry on Kīlauea.

Sinabung Volcano, Indonesia. Fresh eruption deposits visible on the flanks. Photo taken between small explosive events in 2016.

Flow along 4H Club Rd under I-12 on August 15, 2016.

The view on South Sherwood Forest Blvd near the USGS Louisiana Water Science Center office on August 15, 2016.

On Friday evening, breakouts from the east side of lava flow "61g" provided good viewing for visitors who walked in from the Kalapana viewing area.