Images

For a brief period this afternoon a vigorously spattering vent at the east end of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater fed a swiftly moving river of lava that cascaded into the deeper portions of the crater. The cascade was over within about ten minutes of this photograph, but the vent continued to spatter.

Map showing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the extent of nearby lava flows. The currently active flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to November 10, and bright red marks flow expansion from November 10 to November 21. The contour interval on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is 5 m.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

Map showing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the extent of nearby lava flows. The currently active flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to November 3, and bright red marks flow expansion from November 3 to November 10. The contour interval on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is 5 m

A close-up view of the skylight. The flowing lava stream in the tube was easily visible.

This photograph, looking east, shows a large skylight on the lava tube that is supplying lava to surface flows north of Royal Gardens subdivision. The tube trace, which heads southeast, is marked by the line of fume sources in the upper right portion of the image.

Steel Information Center in Winter at Crater Lake National Park.

Photo of the lava lake within the vent inset within the east wall and floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater on March 3, 2011, just days before the Kamoamoa fissure eruption caused the lake level to drop much deeper and out of sight.

Map showing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the extent of nearby lava flows. The flows of the currently active episode 61 east flank phase (September 21-ongoing) are the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to October 25, and bright red marks flow expansion from October 25 to November 3. The trace of the tube carrying lava downslope is shown in yellow.

View looking northwest through rain at the silvery flows at the front of the active episode 61 flow field. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is hidden in the clouds in the top left part of the photo. The ‘A‘ā flow at bottom center is the inactive terminus of the initial flow emplaced on September 21-22, 2011, after the episode 61 fissure on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's east flank opened on September 21.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

Ground view looking at the terminus of the active episode 61 pAHOEHEO flows. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, the source of the flows, is hidden in the clouds at the top of the photo, just left of center.

View looking nearly straight down into the open top of a spatter cone built over the September 21 fissure on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's east flank. The brighter, yellowish zone is the surface of the active lava stream as it flows downslope (toward the top of the photo).

Map showing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the extent of nearby lava flows. The flows of the currently active Episode 61 east flank phase (September 21-ongoing) are the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to October 14, and bright red marks flow expansion from October 14 to 25.

View looking east at the east edge of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater (bottom of photo) and the trace of the September 21 fissure (center of photo). The active lava tube carrying lava downslope to the southeast is marked by the line of fume that trends toward the upper right side of the photo.

View to the northwest looking at the active flows (center of photo). Activity over the past few weeks has built a broad, low rootless shield (a shield-shaped mound of lava built on the flow field, not the vent), and there has been little advancement downslope.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

View looking southwest at the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone is at the top of the photo, and the trace of the September 21 fissure is defined by the line of fume at the center of the photo.

Colonnades in a basaltic lava flow downstream of Boiling Pots on the Wailuku River. Photo courtesy of James Anderson, UH-Hilo.

Humboldt State University geologist Nick Graehl and student assistant collecting gouge core sediment samples in the field.

This thermal image, looking northwest, shows the active flows east of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Bright yellow portions of the image represent areas of active lava. A short channelized flow was active on the upper east flank of the cone, with most activity— comprising pāhoehoe (center of image)—heading southeast.