Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - July 20, 2017

Clear evening views of Halema‘uma‘u's lava lake...

Clear weather provided good views of the lava lake at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. The activity this evening was typical for the lava lake, with variable spattering along the lake margins. Spattering shown here was in the southeast part of the lake, which is the most common site for spattering. This photo was taken by USGS scientists from the rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, an area that remains closed to the public due to ongoing volcanic hazards.

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A beautiful sunset over Mauna Loa (in distance at left) provided a backdrop to the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u. HVO and Jaggar Museum are on the horizon near the center of the panorama.

At about 7:00 p.m., the spattering was intense along the south margin of the lava lake.

About ten minutes after the photo at left, the spattering diminished and retreated to a small site within a small grotto.

Crustal foundering, in which pieces of the thin, flexible lake crust sink beneath the surface, is common in the southern portion of the lake.

This video clip shows spattering along the south margin of the summit lava lake. Note the large slab of crust migrating into the spatter site, where it is consumed. Unfortunately, wind noise masks much of the spattering sound in this video.