Images

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. Active surface lava is limited to the western (bottom) portion of the lake between the main island and the western fissure complex. In this view looking east, a 4 meter (13 feet) diameter skylight is visible at the top of the northeastern-most spatter cone (left). USGS photo by N.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. Active surface lava is limited to the western portion of the lake, and is impounded by steep, well-defined levees. USGS photo by M. Patrick on March 22, 2021.

A close up of the inlet where lava from the western fissure feeds into the lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet is formed from two adjacent lava streams. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This photo shows the levee that bounds the southern margin of the active lake in Halema‘uma‘u. The levee is formed, in part, by numerous small crustal plates pushed over the rim. USGS photo by M. Patrick on March 22, 2021.

This photo shows the northern portion of the active lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Like the southern portion of the lake, this northern zone is also contained by steep, well-defined levees. USGS photo by M. Patrick on March 22, 2021.

Crustal foundering—less-dense liquid lava overriding and sinking thin surface crust—is common in the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Here, large sections of the crust are foundering, resurfacing the lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick on March 22, 2021.

This photo shows one of the islands near the inlet in the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Over the past two weeks, the island has tilted 90 degrees, producing the vertical layering visible here. USGS photo by M. Patrick on March 22, 2021.

On Thursday, March 18, lava continued to erupt from the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. Two lava inlets near the base of the west vent (center) supply lava into the lava lake. This photo was taken around 7:15 a.m.

On March 18, 2021, morning light illuminated the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. Small collapses of the cone have accumulated into a loose pile of rubble (left) on the stagnant crust at its base—adjacent to the active lava lake (lower-right). USGS photo by K. Lynn.

On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2021, a rainbow was observed adjacent to the active lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. This photo was taken around 11:00 a.m. HST from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater.

View of the lava lake from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, looking north. The western (left) portion of the lava lake remains active, with small scale crustal foundering events. Lava enters the lake at two sources approximately 20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 ft) apart at the base of the western vent spatter cone.

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake has filled 221 m (725 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 737 m (2418 ft) asl since the eruption began on December 20, 2020.

View of the lava lake from the southern rim of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, looking north. The western portion of the lava lake remains active, with small scale crustal foundering events. The white steam from the crater walls is more pronounced due to the heavy rain of the last couple of days.

This map shows the response time people can expect based on Mauna Loa eruptions over the past 200 years.  Different sectors around Mauna Loa are colored according to how quickly lava flows can reach populated areas.  The warmer the color, the more quickly the flows travel.

View looking to the northwest of western fissure area of Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the Kīlauea summit on March 11, 2021. There is a small incandescent opening at the top of the main (southern) west vent spatter cone (middle-left), and a few smaller incandescent openings at the top of the northern west vent spatter cone (right of the main cone).

A wider view of the western portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea on Sunday, March 7. The lake has developed a subtle levee on its south margin (just below the center of the photo), with several lava streams cascading down onto the lower level on the eastern end of the levee. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close-up of the western fissure on Sunday, March 7, within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The photos shows a minor change in the vent configuration over the preceding few days. A new lava stream was active north of the normal lava stream entering the lake. This new lava stream was perched above the lake surface, and fed a narrow channel entering the lake.

On Friday, HVO geologists observed a breakout from the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. This photo shows the vent about an hour before the breakout occurred on the northern side of the cone.

In this view of Kīlauea Volcano's south caldera area, the margin of the 1982 lava flows are visible (right), as is a portion of Crater Rim Drive. During World War II, bulldozers were used to create mounds in an effort to prevent planes from landing in this area of Kīlauea.

The fissure 8 lava flows of Kīlauea's 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption meet the ocean at Pohoiki Bay, in the lower left corner of this image. Wave erosion of the 2018 lava flows along the coast contributes to sand accumulation that forms a beach at Pohoiki Bay. USGS image by K. Mulliken on March 4, 2021.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater remains active. This view looking to the northwest on Wednesday, March 4, 2021, focuses on the active portion of the lake; the eastern stagnant portion is out of view to the right. Lava enters the lake at the base of the western vent spatter cone (left).