Images

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lava entering the sea on the western side of flow "61g" is building a platform of new land known as a lava delta, which appears deceptively stable. However, the veneer of lava on the delta surface hides a foundation of loose rubble. As a result, lava deltas are extremely unstable, and they can—and do—collapse without warning.

Backwater flooding across Florida Blvd near the Amite River Bridge in Denham Springs, LA.

A flooded house near the confluence of the Comite and Amite Rivers near Denham Springs, LA.

A flooded neighborhood near the confluence of the Comite and Amite Rivers near Denham Springs, LA. 

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 2 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the active flow as mapped on August 12 is shown in red. The base is a Digital Globe image from January 2016.

A plume of volcanic gas and ash rises from a vent on the east side of Halema`uma`u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea caldera. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Jaggar Museum of Volcanology are in the foreground.

Photos, taken by HVO's webcam on November 17th illustrate the new behavior of the summit eruption plume, which this week began oscillating between strong and robust (left), and weak and wispy (right).

Plume from the Waikupanaha entry casts a shadow on the sea in the early morning sun.

Mauna Loa March 25, 1984 eruption.

Rocks from the east rim of Kīlauea Volcano's summit vent fell into the lava lake at 10:02 p.m., HST, on Saturday, August 6, triggering an explosive event that hurled fragments of molten and solid rock onto the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater.