Images

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists monitor the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake using state-of-the-art instruments acquired through the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019. Supplemental funds are supporting HVO’s recovery and rebuilding in the wake of Kīlauea’s 2018

On the morning of Dec. 21, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas scientists use a FTIR spectrometer on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater. The FTIR measures the composition of the gases being emitted during Kīlauea Volcano's ongoing summit eruption by measuring how the plume absorbs infrared energy.

Photo shows volcanic gases from the current eruption at Kīlauea’s summit being transported southwest into the closed area (left side of photo). This photo also shows the cracks, cliffs, and uneven ground surfaces present in the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by K. Mulliken on 12/21/2020. 

Shortly after approximately 9:30 p.m. HST, an eruption commenced at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. Red spots are the approximate locations of fissure vents feeding lava flowing into the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u crater. The water lake at the base of Halema‘uma‘u crater has been replaced with a growing lava lake.

December 20, 2020, Kīlauea volcanic plume shown from the Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea (left) and a 3D radar visualization from the same perspective. The radar reflectivity isosurfaces reveal the plume’s internal and external structure.

Kīlauea summit KW webcam image taken on December 20, 2020, just before 6 p.m. HST. Three and a half hours later, at 9:30 p.m., an eruption began in the walls of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, vaporizing the lake.

Example of 2D and 3D radar visualization of the December 20, 2020, Kīlauea volcanic plume. Displayed in photo (top, USGS photo), 2D radar scan from station PHWA (middle, NOAA Weather and Climate Toolkit), and 3D radar visualization (bottom, Google Earth).

A gravimeter measuring the force of gravity on Mauna Kea. These measurements are used to calibrate the instruments so they can precisely monitor changes in gravity from magma accumulation at Mauna Loa (background). USGS photograph taken on December 10, 2020.

KWcam webcam image from December 2 at 6:00 p.m. HST, immediately following a M3.1 earthquake at Kīlauea summit. Several rockfalls down the talus slope impacted the summit water lake, causing some brief localized color changes of the lake surface (circled in yellow).

ANIMATED GIF: At Kīlauea summit, the KWcam webcam recorded several small color changes along the lake margin following rockfalls which impacted the lake surface. These rockfalls immediately followed a M3.1 earthquake Wednesday evening, December 2, at 5:59 p.m. HST. This animated image file (GIF) continuously loops two consecutive webcam images from 5:50 p.m.

This photo was taken from the west rim of Kīlauea caldera at dawn, and shows the moon setting over Mauna Loa's broad Northeast Rift Zone. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Tephra layers preserved at the summit of Kīlauea from at least three different eruptions. Deposits below the top of the scale are predominantly juvenile and deposits above it containing many lithics. Notice the larger size of the yellow pumice clasts compared to the much denser and finer grey lapilli and ash surrounding them from 7 to 18 on the scale.

Dark brown colors dominated the central and western portions of the lake at Kīlauea's summit. The greenish hues were present in areas that appear to be zone of hot water influx into the lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A quick visit to the western caldera rim provided brief views of Kīlauea's summit lake between rain showers. The lake colors were particularly vibrant today, with a deep blue-green color in the western end (bottom of photo), with dark brown near the center. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Map of Waiʻōhinu area, Island of Hawaiʻi, showing the location of the 3,740 year old age.

View looking southwest along the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano. The unvegetated nature of the Southwest Rift Zone is on full display with the Keanakākoʻi Tephra in the foreground overlying lava flows from Cone Peak (the cone in the middle ground to the right).

As part of routine monitoring efforts, HVO gas scientists collected helium samples from fumaroles in the Sulphur Banks, or Ha‘akulamanu, area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on September 30, 2020. Helium can pass through the glass of typical gas sampling bottles, so copper tubing is necessary for the specialized sample.

Different sulfur gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), can react with each other to deposit crystals of pure native sulfur at sites of degassing called fumaroles. The crystals picture here formed within a Sulphur Banks area fumarole in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by T. Elias.

A close-up image of native sulfur crystals that formed within fumaroles at the Sulphur Banks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. In addition to sulfur species and other gases, volcanoes emit water vapor. Here, some of the vapor has condensed to liquid water and formed droplets visible on the sulfur crystals. USGS photo by P. Nadeau. 

Tubing inserted into a fumarole at the Sulphur Banks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park allows HVO gas scientists to sample gas. The gas travels through the tube into gas sampling bottles for later analyses. USGS photo by M. Warren.

A gravimeter makes a measurement at a benchmark situated among lava flows erupted in 1919. The strength of gravity varies with both elevation and the amount of mass beneath the instrument. Changes in mass can indicate changes in the amount of magma entering Kīlauea's magma reservoirs. USGS photo by A. Flinders.