Images

Lava was reaching heights above the tree line.

Lava from the erupting fissure produced a large flow that is moving southeast through the adjacent forest.

With lava retreating deeper into the Halema'uma'u vent cavity over the past two days, the cavity walls have experienced more frequent collapses. At 2:23pm today (March 7), a collapse from the upper portion of the vent cavity produced a robust brown plume, but did not eject any large particles.

Image from a thermal camera located on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater above the Overlook vent and looking into the vent after the lava lake nearly drained away completely starting March 5. Volcanic tremor and summit deflation began at about 1:42 p.m. HST on March 5, and was shortly followed by draining of the lava lake.

A broad view of the Kamoamoa fissures. The fissures extend 2.3 km (1.4 mi) between Napau Crater and Pu'u 'O 'o. The western most fissure is just out of view in this photo.

On the west end of the fissure system, spatter ramparts are forming as the lava fallout solidifies in a mound upwind from the source.

A view of the spattering source from the ground.

A piece of spatter ejected on March 7, 2011. Handheld GPS for scale.

A close-up of the flow front in the forest.

Early morning view of the fissure eruption between Napau Crater and Pu'u 'O 'o. View is to the northwest. Fume from the eruptive vent in Halema'uma'u can be seen at upper right against the dark mass of Mauna Loa.

A close-up of the fissure just west of Pu'u 'O 'o Crater. Spatter was reaching heights of 40 m (130 ft).

This fissure began in the early hours of March 6, erupting spatter and producing lava flows.

HVO gas geochemist uses a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer to measure volcanic gas compositions emitted during the 2011 Kamoamoa fissure eruption on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano. The instrument measures the infrared energy from the hot lava fissure as it passes through, and is absorbed by, the volcanic plume along an open atmospheric path.

Increased activity on one of the new fissures between Pu'u 'O 'o Crater and Napau.

HVO geologist carries a freshly quenched lava sample from the 2011 Kamoamoa fissure eruption on Kīlauea Volcano. Molten lava is quickly placed in a bucket of water to "freeze" the growth of minerals for chemical and microscopic analyses.

Lava spatters above the fissure just west of the base of Pu'u 'O 'o.

Most of the day's activity was focused at this vent, around which a low cone was forming. Pu'u 'O 'o is visible in the background to the northeast.

This fissure is erupting 1.5 km (0.9 mi) west of Pu'u 'O 'o Crater. You can view this eruption on the new Pu'u 'O 'o to Napau Crater webcam.

Lava spatters above the fissure just west of the base of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on March 6, 2011.

A portion of charred, lava covered forest along the east rift zone, from the initial fissure eruption that began yesterday evening (March 5).

Spatter reaching up to 30 m (100 ft) from a fissure that opened this morning (March 6).