Images

The crater floor of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea is covered with lava flows erupted since the current eruption began on September 29, 2022. These lava flows are a patchwork of different ages, with overflows and ooze-outs along the margin of the crater floor covering new portions of the crater floor at different times.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff, along with collaborators from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, are installing seismic nodes on the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea this week as part of a project funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157).

Unlike permanent seismic stations, which are placed farther apart and cover the entire Island of Hawai‘i, the temporary seismic nodes will be tightly grouped in order to more densely record earthquake signals across the region surrounding Pāhala.

The magnetotelluric (MT) instruments pose no health risk to people or animals and over 1–2 days will collect data that will inform HVO and collaborating scientists about the subsurface structure and fluids.

The Airborne Electromagnetic and magnetic (AEM) transmitter generates a magnetic field that is lower than 1/100th of the accepted general public exposure level across all frequencies. The same AEM surveys have been conducted in other locations throughout the US with no reported ill effects to humans or animals.

Telephoto view of the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo taken by J.M. Chang at 12:01 p.m. HST from the south rim. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Photo of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, taken at 11:47 a.m. HST on June 2, 2022. The photo is looking towards the northeast, with the west vent and active lava lake on the left side of the photo, partially obscured by abundant fumes. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

View looking north of the active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, during a volcano monitoring field shift on June 2, 2022. Spattering of lava occurred intermittently along the edges of the active lava lake basin, as shown by the orange areas on the north side of the basin.

During the first half of June, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff, along with collaborators from other parts of USGS,  temporarily deployed instruments to collect ground-based magnetotelluric (MT) data to image structure and fluids beneath the surface of Kīlauea.

HVO staff and collaborators install temporary instruments to collect magnetotelluric (MT) data on Kīlauea volcano’s south flank. At each location, electrodes, induction-coil magnetometers, and data loggers are deployed for 1–2 days. This photo shows a magnetometer being prepared for burial in a narrow and shallow trench to minimize wind noise.

At each magnetotelluric (MT) site, three electrodes are installed. The electrodes require electrical contact with the ground and are buried in shallow holes about the width and depth of a spade head. The electrode is encapsulated in a canvas bag filled with bentonite, and water is poured in the electrode hole to improve the contact resistance.

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. A small stream of lava was pouring into a small pond northwest of the main lava lake, near the west vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This map of the Kīlauea summit is mostly identical to the May 16, 2022, eruption reference map, but also included here are west to east topographic profiles across the caldera.

Map of the Southwest Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, using data from the Geologic Map of the State of Hawaiʻi (Sherrod and others, 2021). Lava flows erupted in 1950, 1926, 1919, 1916, 1907, 1887, and 1868 are shown in different colors on the map. Basemap sources: ESRI, HERE, Garmin, Intermap, increment P Corp. USGS map. 

Aerial view of Mount Edgecumbe crater taken on May 19, 2022. Mount Edgecumbe is a volcano in Southeast Alaska, near Sitka. Image courtesy of Max Kaufman, AVO/UAF-GI.

Unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) flights on May 18, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater.

Unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) flights on May 18, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater.

A view of the active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, taken during a Kīlauea summit monitoring field shift on the morning of May 18, 2022. The active lake is draining into the small pond on the right of the photograph. Spattering along the margins of the lake is common, seen here in the center of the photograph.

The feature shown in the photograph is a drainage outlet for the active lava lake of Halema‘uma‘u, a crater within the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano. Surface plates from the active lake surface are dragged into the outlet and churned up. A small standing wave, about 1 meter or 1 yard tall, is present in the center of the outlet structure.

The vent within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, was degassing during a field observation visit on the morning of May 18, 2022. The vent is 56 feet tall (17 meters) and has a small puka (hole) visible with bright red glowing lava within on the right side of the photograph.

Image from the B1cam webcam on the east rim of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS image.