Images

Left: Horseshoe-shaped crater of Mount St. Helens in 1980, formed by a landslide that removed the top of the volcano. The crater is about 2 km (1.2 mi) wide and the floor is about 600 m (1,970 ft) below the crater rim. Right: Halema‘uma‘u nestled in the summit crater of Kīlauea Volcano on August 1, the day before the last collapse event.

Measuring tilt in Timberline parking lot in early April 1980 during lightly falling snow.

The November 16, 1979, eruption near Pauahi Crater was a brief, one-day event on the upper East Rift Zone. It was preceded by two months of increased seismic activity, summit inflation, and lava erupting from fissures west of, within, and east of the crater.

The September 1977 eruption of Kīlauea began after nearly two years of dormancy, with activity breaking out on September 13 along a 3.5-mile-long fissure system between the prehistoric cones of Kalalua and Puʻu Kauka.

(Left) Aerial photograph of the Pāhala area, on the southern side of the Island of Hawaiʻi, taken on December 11, 1976. (Right) The backside of the same photo showing labeled field locations, marked with a pinhole through the photograph, which correspond to the geologist’s field notes. 

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist measures a scarp that formed on the south flank of Kīlauea during the magnitude-7.2 earthquake in 1975. In this area, near Poliokeawe Pali in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the scarp is about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high. USGS photo by P. Lipman.

A M 7.7 earthquake on November 29, 1975, was located beneath the south flank of Kīlauea.

The submerged coconut grove at Halapē, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, marks the former coastline that was submerged during the ground movement associated with the November 29, 1975, magnitude-7.7 earthquake. USGS image.

Road damage in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park caused by the magnitude-7.7 earthquakes on November 29, 1975. USGS image. 

Ground cracks along Crater Rim Drive in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park caused by the M 7.7 earthquake on November 25, 1975. The cracks resulted from slumping of the ground toward the rim of Kīlauea Crater, the edge of which is left of the guardrails.

Mauna Loa 1975 eruption. Lava fountains up to 20 m (65 ft) high erupted from fissures on the north flank of the volcano early Sunday morning, July 6, 1975.

Photograph of the December 31, 1974, eruption from the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea. This early morning photo shows the lava fountains feeding the eruption and throwing lava bombs to 115–130 feet (35–40 meters) high. This eruption was very brief, lasting from 2:56 a.m. to around 8:50 a.m. USGS photo by Robin Holcomb.

The September 1974 Halemaʻumaʻu eruption was a brief but intense summit event at Kīlauea, erupting from fissures within the crater in a similar location to the 1971 eruption. Unlike the July 1974 eruption, this event featured a “curtain-of-fire” style lava fountain that advanced rapidly but stopped abruptly at the southwest wall of the caldera.

The July 19–22, 1974, Keanakākoʻi eruption was a dramatic summit event triggered by a sudden increase in seismicity and summit deflation. Lava fountains up to 180 feet high erupted from fissures north and south of Keanakākoʻi Crater and on the caldera floor, sending lava flows about 1.5 miles southward and across the caldera floor.

The May 1973 eruption near Hiʻiaka Crater was a vigorous event on Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone. Lasting about seven hours, it produced lava flows that traveled from just west of Hiʻiaka to Pauahi Crater, crossing what is now Chain of Craters Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

As erupting fissures migrated down Kīlauea's southwest rift zone in September 1971 for the first time in 52 years, many spectators hiked into the Ka‘ū Desert for a closer view of the rare event. Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park rangers patrolled the area on horseback to keep people a safe distance from the lava fountains. Photo courtesy of NPS.

Seaward sliding of Kīlauea's south flank over many thousands of years has resulted in large ground displacements along shallow faults that break the surface, as shown by the cliffs ("pali" in Hawaiian) seen here. Most of the movement along the faults occur during sudden slip that cause large earthquakes.

 HVO scientist measures the episode 12 lava fountain height at Mauna Ulu from Puʻu Huluhulu on Dec 30, 1969. The Mauna Ulu eruption marks its 51^st anniversary on May 24, 1969.

This lava fountain, which erupted on September 6, 1969, during the Mauna Ulu eruption, was about 540 m (1770 ft) tall. The tephra cone, eventually named Mauna Ulu, can be seen in the fallout area (right of the fountains. in middle of image). It is now a 121 m (397 ft) tall lava shield in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The February 1969 rift eruption near Nāpau Crater was a brief but dynamic precursor to the long-lived Maunaulu eruption that began in May of that year. This week-long event featured lava fountaining from multiple fissures along a 2.5-mile stretch of Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone.

An aerial photo of a segment of the 1968 eruptive fissures in the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea. A line of lava fountains is feeding a small lava channel on October 8, 1968, during the second day of this eruption. USGS photo taken by D. Swanson.