Images

As Kīlauea Volcano's active pāhoehoe flow spreads across the coastal plain on July 6, the new lava appeared more shiny or silvery compared with the older lava beneath it. Molten "toes" of lava breaking out from the leading edges of the flow can be seen in the lower right quadrant of the photo. USGS photo.

This map of Kīlauea Volcano's lava flow shows the locations of Hawai‘i County's designated lava-viewing and parking areas (http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/lava-viewing/), as well as the lava flow's location relative to the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park boundary (green line).

At the time the photograph was taken, the active lava flow from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō was on the slope near the top of the Pūlama pali, one of the steep escarpments on Kīlauea's southeast flank, and had transitioned into a channelized ‘a‘ā flow.

Spattering was vigorous in the Kīlauea's summit lava lake this evening, but within the range of normal variation. Spatter was thrown up to the level of the floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, about 25 m (80 ft) above the lake surface.

A video of the spattering in the lava lake at Kīlauea's summit.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists investigate a portion of the Great Crack in the Keaiwa flow field on Kīlauea Volcano's Southwest Rift Zone. USGS photo.

This rapidly moving ‘A‘ā lava flow was one of several that advanced down the west flank of Mauna Loa during the volcano's 1950 eruption. The massive flow, tens of meters (yards) high, traveled from the Southwest Rift Zone vent to the ocean, a distance of about 18 km (11 mi), in around 18 hours.

Video of spattering along the north margin of Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory chemist conducts thermal imaging measurements as part of a geochemical survey on Mauna Loa's upper Southwest Rift Zone in March 2016. Areas like the one shown here can indicate where gases are escaping from magma at depth. USGS photo.

This daguerreotype image, captured in 1855 by Hugo Stangenwald, is the earliest known photograph of Kīlauea Volcano. Although scratched and faded, the 161-year-old photo shows a line of steaming vents across the floor of Kīlauea's summit caldera as viewed from a location near today's Volcano House Hotel. The caldera rim is visible in the lower third of the image.

This image of Kīlauea Volcano's summit, probably taken in the 1860s from a site near where Jaggar Museum in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is located today, was once thought to be the first photograph of Kīlauea. It shows part of the caldera rim and floor with a fuming Halema‘uma‘u Crater near the center of the image. USGS/HVO photo archives.

During the Mauna Loa 1950 eruption, three large, fast-moving lava flows advanced down the west flank of the volcano, each crossing the main highway before reaching the ocean. The Ka‘apuna flow, shown here, traveled from the Southwest Rift Zone vent (7,800 ft elevation) to the coast in just 17 hours, creating a huge steam plume as lava flowed into the sea.

This small-scale map shows Kīlauea's June2th lava flow boundaries on March 25, 2016, in relation to the eastern part of the Island of Hawai‘i. The area of the flow field on February 20 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow field as mapped on March 25 is shown in red. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō lava flows erupted prior to June 27, 2014, are shown in gray.

Kīlauea Volcano's summit eruption began on March 19, 2008, and continues today. The lava lake is contained within the Overlook crater, which is set within the larger Halema‘uma‘u Crater. In this February 28, 2016, photo, the lava lake surface was just 30 m (100 ft) below the rim of the Overlook crater. Spattering is visible in the southeast portion of the lake.

Footprints made in muddy ash during Kilauea's 1790 eruption are reminders that people experienced the largest explosive eruption in Hawai‘i in 1,000 years. More than 80, and possibly several hundred, people were killed by the eruption soon after the footprints were made.

One of the new tools deployed by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to better monitor the current unrest on Mauna Loa is a webcam focused on the volcano's Southwest Rift Zone, which has been the site of eruptions in 1903, 1916, 1919, 1926, and 1950.

Three images showing Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes on the island of Hawaii; 2016 satellite image mosaic

As the sun rose above Mauna Kea (background) on July 6, 1975, eruptive fissures along the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa fed voluminous ‘a‘ā lava flows that quickly moved down the north flank of the volcano.

Though the park celebrates its 100th anniversary on August 1, 2016, its main attractions-Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes-have been adding to the land mass of Hawaii’s “Big Island” for at least 400,000 years.

Preview image for video: A rockfall on the east rim of the summit vent within Kīlauea Volcano's Halema‘uma‘u Crater triggered a small explosive event at 3:51 a.m., HST, on January 8, 2016. Explosive events like this occur more frequently when the lava lake level is relatively high, as it has been this past week—around 30-35 m (100-115 ft) below the vent rim.

In this photo of Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake, the light-colored rock in the vent wall to the left of the spattering lava shows were a rockfall occurred on January 2. The shadow of the gas plume appears as a brown streak perpendicular to the dark-colored lava on the floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater.