Images

Episode 23 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u began with high fountains that deposited tephra outside the caldera to the southwest. Material was still molten as it fell on the landscape, evidenced by the fluid textures shown here. This clast, large enough to be called a volcanic bomb, is over 50 cm (almost two feet) long. USGS photo by K.

Episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea included lava fountaining from both the south and north vents. The tall narrow finger of lava shown here, as well as the lower fountaining to the right, are both sourced from the south vent, while the wider fountain originates from the north vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Shortly after the start of episode 23 at 4:15 p.m. HST on May 25, the lava fountain and assocaited gas and tephra plume towered over the summit caldera of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The Kīlauea plume from episode 23 reached heights of more than 20,000 feet (6,100 meters)— likely over 25,000 feet (7,600 meters)—above Kīlauea’s summit, which is at an elevation of about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level.

A telephoto view of the top of the south lava fountain during episode 23 of the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea on May 25.  The top of the fountain was an area of complex dynamics including fluctuating fountain height along with clasts separating from the fountain to be carried horizontally in the plume. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Another telephoto view of the base of the north lava fountain, with the south fountain behind it to the right. Both the north and the south vents were active during episode 23 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on May 25. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 23 on May 25 produced lava flows that rapidly covered portions of the western parts of Halemaʻumaʻu floor.  Eventually, lava flows reached into the eastern portion of crater before the episode ended at 10:25 p.m. HST on May 25. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A view of the complex lava channels originating from the vents during episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea. The channels near the top of the image come from lava fountaining at the south vent, while those at the bottom are from the north vent fountaining. The north vent fountain is visible at the right side of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Episode 23 lava fountaining at Kīlauea summit began around 4:30 p.m. HST on May 25. The episode was active into the evening, and this view shows the eruption at around sunset. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Another view of the complex lava fountaining geometry during episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea on May 25. The tall and low fountains on the right originate from the south vent, while the wider fountain on the left comes from the north vent, whose cone rim is visible at the bottom of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A view of the top of the north fountain (left) and the south fountain (right) during episode 23 at the summit of Kīlauea, showing the variable colors (and temperatures) of clasts forming the fountain. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists observe the episode 23 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea from the western caldera rim on May 25. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Both the north and south vents in Halemaʻumaʻu erupted during episode 23 on May 23, as shown in this V3 webcam image taken at 5:25 p.m. HST. USGS webcam image. 

This spectrogram shows four hours of USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory data streams across six seismic stations at Kīlauea’s summit on May 6, 2025. Each panel is 10 minutes of data. Over the four-hour period, an earthquake, pulsing, and eruptive tremor are visible. 

A view of the V3cam site located on the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and Kaluapele. The camera, which was installed with permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, is one of three that provide livestream views of the ongoing episodic eruption at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Warren. 

This photograph shows the new V3cam, installed by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) in mid-May 2025. The V3cam, like all of the HVO monitoring cameras that start with "V," is a pan-tilt-zoom model that can be controlled remotely. This capability is useful in evaluating the ongoing episodic eruptive activity within Halemaʻumaʻu, and the associated hazards.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist uses an FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer) to measure the chemical composition of volcanic gas during cycles of spattering and seismic tremor at the active vent at Kīlauea summit on May 22, 2025. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

On May 22, 2025, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff stabilized the new V3cam livestream camera. The camera was installed just last week and views since then were shaky due to the strong winds which are common in the caldera. The camera was moved from a tall mast to a more stable tripod setup.

On May 21, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists flew UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) into Halemaʻumaʻu to monitor the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption. This oblique aerial photo provides an overview of the two eruptive vents, north (back) and south (front).

During UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) overflights on May 21, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists flew their aircraft directly above the south vent within Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. As of this posting on May 21, the eruption continues episodically.