Images

During a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Kīlauea eruption monitoring overflight on March 4, 2025, geology field crews sampled a viscous molten lava flow on the eastern margin of the lake. This flow is likely an ooze out from the molten lake interior, and represents lava erupted in previous episodes.

Coincident with a scheduled USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory eruption monitoring overflight the morning of Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Kīlauea's ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u started to show minor activity at both eruptive vents. This aerial view of the vents taken at 8:04 a.m.

Episode 12 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began a fountaining phase at 2 p.m. HST on March 4.  Several small lava flows came from the south vent during the morning and early afternoon of March 4. At 2:00 p.m. HST, fountaining began at the north vent.

Both the north and south vents have been active in the ongoing episode 12 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu. Lava fountains feed lava flows that cover part of the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu. USGS photo by L. Gallant.

During the early evening of March 4, 2025, USGS scientists captured this view of both the north and south vent erupting lava fountains during episode 12 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption. During this episode, lava fountains reached up to 250-300 feet (80-90 meters) in height. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the caldera rim at Kīlauea this morning and observed the end of the summit eruption's eleventh episode, as fountains shut down at both eruptive vents between approximately 6:30 and 7:00 am.

Recent lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea has produced large frothy clasts that have landed on the western caldera rim, in addition to many smaller clasts that have produced a thick carpet of new tephra. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The density of clasts produced by recent fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea is similar to that of a kitchen sponge, due to abundant gas bubbles. These bubbles range in size from ones too small to see, up to larger ones about the size of golf balls. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist uses a laser rangefinder to measure the evolving height of cinder cones produced by recent lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea. Today, February 26, the highest part of the tallest cone rim was about 160 feet (48 meters) above the crater floor. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Episode 11 of the ongoing summit eruption at Kīlauea started yesterday, February 25 at 6:22 p.m. HST and ended this morning, February 26 at 7:06 a.m. Field crews witnessed the last 40 minutes of episode 11, documented in this series of photos taken from the western rim of the volcano's summit caldera, looking southeast.

The shapes and textures of clasts produced by recent lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea also indicate their fluid nature as they traveled through the air. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist measures the chemistry of volcanic gases emitted by Kīlauea summit eruption episode 11—within Halemaʻumaʻu crater—on February 26, 2025. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientist checks the settings on a temporarily deployed camera. Infrastructure in this area is subject to the occasional volcanic bomb strike and may also experience intense heat.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) geologists captured this view of episode 10 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u during a sunrise field shift on February 20, 2025. HVO scientists measured fountain heights of about 45-50 m (148-164 feet) on average with frequent pulses reaching 60-65 meters (197-213 feet).

Ground tilt and eruptive episodes associated with Kīlauea summit eruption December 23, 2024, until February 20, 2025. The ten eruptive episodes in Halemaʻumaʻu are highlighted in red. 

A telephoto view of the north vent erupting during episode 10 of the 2024-2025 Halemʻumaʻu eruption within Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea. USGS photo by L. Gallant during the morning of February 20, 2025. 

An overview of episode 10 of the ongoing Halemaʻumaʻu eruption the morning of February 20, 2025. Episode 10 ended later that morning at 9:18 a.m HST, after just under 13 hours of fountaining.

Screenshots of the USGS Latest Earthquakes page and the USGS event page for a M3.1 that occurred at 6:31 a.m. HST on February 13, 2025, north of Kapaʻau on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Selecting the event’s hyperlink on the USGS Latest Earthquakes webpage (red box top panel) will take the user to the event’s overview page (lower panel).

The north and south vents in Halema‘uma‘u were partially hidden in the shadows of clouds during the monitoring overflight at 12:30 p.m. HST today, February 12, but the plumes of volcanic gas emissions helped to illuminate their positions.

A patchwork of lava flows of different colors and different ages cover the floor of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Nine lava fountaining episodes in the southwest part of Kalupele since December 23, 2024, have fed lava flows that work their way east across the caldera floor. Although episode 9 of the eruption paused February 12, at 8:43 a.m.

Clear weather during a Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight allowed for views of Mauna Kea in the distance, with the slope of Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone visible on the left side of the image. Small amounts of snow from a recent storm remain visible on the slopes of Mauna Kea. USGS photo by P. Dotray.