Images

Lava fountaining in the southwest portion of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) has producing tephra cone perched along the caldera wall. USGS photo by M. Patrick on January 2, 2025. 

On January 2, USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists measured lava fountains at Kīlauea summit reaching heights of 262-295 feet (80-90 meters). USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Vigorous lava fountaining continued this morning with the dominant vent producing fountain heights of about 80 m (260 feet). USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Two vents were active today at Kīlauea summit. The southern vent was producing the dominant fountain (left side of image) and had built a large pyroclastic cone abutting the western caldera wall. The northern vent had a lower fountain (right side of image) and a smaller cone. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A view from the west rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) of the vents erupting at Kīlauea summit. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

A broader view of the activity at Kīlauea summit. The lava fountaining has produced a large pyroclastic cone against the western wall, with deposits draped on the walls. Lava pours out of the vents into a large ponded area in the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater.

Over the past day, vents in the southwest portion of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) have continued producing a fan of lava flows covering the western portion of the crater floor during sustained lava fountaining. USGS photo by M. Patrick on January 2, 2025. 

Graph of tilting at the summit of Kīlauea recorded by the UWD tiltmeter, located near Uēkahuna bluff on the north side of the caldera and the SDH tiltmeter located south of the caldera.

Koaʻe kea (white-tailed tropicbirds) continuously fly around the lava fountain and above the lava pond at Kīlauea summit. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u as of January 2, 2025. Since the onset of the eruption on December 23, 2024, it has covered a total of 673 acres (272 hectares) with new lava (pink area), and approximately half that area still hosts active flows (red area).

Another telephoto view of the vents erupting at Kīlauea summit on January 2, 2025. View is from the closed west rim area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Dr. Thomas Lee, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Geology Professor who specializes in seismology. 

Here, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist takes images and measurements of lava fountain heights during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on December 31, 2024; the eruption began on December 23 and has continued in episodic pulses. Geologists conduct shifts throughout the week to monitor the eruption and note any changes.

Shortly after sunrise on December 31, 2024, the eruption at Kīlauea's summit continued with 50–80 foot (15–25 meter) lava fountains continuously feeding flows across the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

At dawn on December 31, 2024 the eruption in Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) continued. The plume of volcanic gas seen here was blown to the southwest of Kaluapele across the closed Crater Rim Drive in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

At 6:30 a.m. on December 31, 2024, the eruption continued in Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) with 50–80 foot (15–25 meter) lava fountains from two vents. A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crew observed continuous fountaining that fed an expanding lava fan across the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

This panorama, stitched from eight photos taken at different angles, shows the eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu crater and its volcanic gas plume in the dawn light on December 31, 2024. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Zoom view of the lava flow field from the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on December 31, 2024. The eruption continues to feed lava throughout Halemaʻumaʻu crater, where lava channels and outbreak lobes like these are forming. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Photo of the lava flows in the western part of Halema‘uma‘u crater just before dawn on December 30, 2024. These lava flows are reaching about 2,300 ft (or 700 m) from their source at the lava fountains and covering the pre-existing topography. The flows currently cover about a quarter of the western part of the crater floor. Photo by U.S.

Aerial view looking to the southwest of the active eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater on December 30, 2024. The lava fountains are reaching up to 30 m (100 ft) high and feeding the incandescent lava in the foreground. The current activity is concentrated in the western quarter of the crater floor. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey geologist D. Downs.

This oblique aerial photo was captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on the morning of Monday, December 30, 2024, providing a southwest-looking view of the active fountains of the ongoing eruption within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit. USGS photo by N. Deligne.