Images

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. On Wednesday, June 15, a small collapse of a portion of the lake rim created a dusty plume and lake agitation, including waves that traveled across the lake surface. USGS image.

In the pastel colors of sunset, Mauna Loa's shield-shaped shadow is illuminated in this image taken at approximately 7 p.m. HST on June 13, 2022, by the MLcam. The MLcam is located on the northwest rim of Moku‘āweoweo, the summit caldera. A full moon is visible just above the shadow of Mauna Loa.

At the summit of Kīlauea, the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u continues. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a field observation shift the morning of June 8. From the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u, the active lava lake in the west portion of the crater was nearly full and the surface crust was slowly moving west to east.

Telephoto image of the west vent area within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. During an HVO geology observation shift on June 8, the west vent area was steaming and degassing as were many other areas of the crater floor. A low roaring sound could be heard from the south rim of the crater, which seemed to come from the vent area. USGS photo by J.

In this telephoto image taken from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u, spattering and crustal foundering is visible in the east end of the active lava lake within the crater at Kīlauea's summit. Slabs of thin silvery crust are visible covering most of the lava lake surface; this crust was moving in a west-to-east motion the morning of June 8. USGS photo by J.

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.

This telephoto image, taken from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u, shows the island of tephra that formed during the earliest stages of Kīlauea's summit eruption that began the evening of December 20, 2020. Lava erupted during the ongoing eruption continues to lap onto this feature, slowly burying it.

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.