Images

A small amount of lava spatter was thrown from the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit, on December 20, 2021. Lava continued to flow into the lake from a source north (left) of the main vent cone. Multiple sources of degassing can be seen on and around the vent cone. USGS photo by B. Carr.

This photo from Friday, December 17, shows that the west vent remains active in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. A steep cone has been built over the vent, with lava supplied to the perched lava lake from the base of the cone. USGS photo by E. Gallant.

A close-up view of the steep cone recently built over the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Spatter was occasionally thrown over the rim onto the flanks of the cone. USGS photo taken by E. Gallant on December 17, 2021.

A close-up view of an overflow on the levee of the perched lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo taken by E. Gallant on December 17, 2021.

The eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues to feed a rising lava lake. During the evening of December 15, 2021 a period of increased eruptive activity included lava entering the lake from multiple sources and frequent large spatter bursts throwing lava onto the sides of the west vent cone.

Lava erupting from the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit. Frequent large spatter bursts were observed at the west vent during a period of increased eruptive activity that lasted for a few hours on the evening of December 15, 2021. This photo was taken from the public viewpoint near Keanakāko‘i crater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

A view of the western part of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava effusion from the west vent (lower left) had significantly decreased during the time of this photo. The western part of the lava lake surface was crusted over and had developed a noticeable topography, with islands perched within the lava lake.

A view of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, on Monday, December 13, 2021. Very little eruptive activity had been observed during the previous day at the summit. Over the past week, the lake level has continued to rise and covered more of the lowest down-dropped block (center left).

The eruption in Halema'uma'u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues.

This zoomed-in view of the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, was captured on December 10, 2021. In this photo, spatter is seen above a perched pond at the top of the cone. The volcanic plume originating at the cone is mostly white in color with a blue tinge, indicative of water vapor and sulfur dioxide, respectively. USGS image by N.

View of the active western half of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at the Kīlauea summit. The main island that serves as a boundary between the active (west) and inactive (east) parts of the lake is the brown area in the middle right side of this photo.

Sunset on the evening of December 8, 2021, provided stunning views of the eruption in Halema'uma'u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photograph, taken from the Keanakākoʻi overlook within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, looks northwest from the south rim of Kīlauea caldera.

This zoomed-in view of the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, was captured on December 7, 2021, through the lens of a laser rangefinder.

On the sunny morning of December 3, at around 11 a.m. HST, the western vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater hissed with steam from large parts of the 19-meter-high (62 feet) cone after a rainfall earlier in the morning. Although the lava inside the cone was not visible, HVO field crews observed that lava continued to flow into the lava lake from the east side of the vent.

Red hot lava overturns the crust of the western end of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. These overturns are often seen along the edge of the lake by the 1-meter-high (3 ft) rim surrounding the active surface area. USGS image by J. Schmith.

Earthquakes detected by HVO’s seismic network in December 2021, with the size of the circles corresponding the earthquake magnitude and the color corresponding to the earthquake depth. The cluster of mostly blue earthquakes are from a persistent swarm about 30 km (19 miles) underneath Pāhala.

View from the south looking at the active west vent in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea summit. The vent is mostly obscured by a plume of steam and sulfur dioxide, with a little spatter visible. A lava flow is slowly entering the lava lake from the base of the scoria cone that has been constructed around the west vent. USGS photo by D. Downs.

HVO staff at work in the electronics workshop. On the right side, two types of 3D printers are used to produce parts: sample holders made from bioplastic, and aerial drone parts made from carbon fiber and nylon. On the left side, a computer screen shows the inside structure of composite drone parts. USGS photo by F.

View from the south looking at the western, active part of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Effusion into the lava lake is slow and steady with a few red-orange incandescent patches of lava visible within the flat black part of the lava lake. The perched margin of the active lava lake is visible around its perimeter. USGS photo by D.

Lava continues to erupt from a perched lava pond within the west vent of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo shows spatter bursts through the pond and a roiling and sloshing pond surface, as well as a white-trailed tropicbird (koa‘e kea)..

Lava continues to eruption from a vent on the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater and flow into the lava lake. The active area of the lava lake remains similar in size to the previous week. In the foreground, a down-dropped block containing a segment of the old Crater Rim Drive can be seen. The southeast flank of Mauna Loa is in the background.