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Kīlauea has erupting episodically within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park since December 23, 2024. While lava flows are contained to the caldera, tephra fallout from the lava fountains can affect communities downwind. Tephra is any material erupted from a volcano that travels through the air and it includes volcanic ash, Pele's hair, and other larger tephra

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. As of this posting on March 2, 2026, the eruption has had forty-two episodes, with the most recent occurring on February 15.

View of the Zapotitán valley and surrounding volcanic vents in western El Salvador, looking out from the northwest flank of San Salvador volcano on vents from the 1917 effusive eruption. Izalco is the conical volcano near the left edge of the horizon, formed by near-continuous eruptions from 1770 to 1958.

Despite hazy conditions on Thursday, February 26, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring overflight crew had clear views of the Kīlauea summit eruptive vents during a low pass over western Halema‘uma‘u crater. No lava or incandescence was visible in either the north (lower-right) or south (upper-left) vent. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist collects a cooled lava sample from the front of the episode 42 lava flow on Halema‘uma‘u crater floor at Kīlauea summit. The chemistry of these lava samples is analyzed to better understand the magmatic plumbing system and inform our understanding of eruptive hazards. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

These thermal maps at the summit of Kīlauea show the crater floor after episodes 41 and 42. Episode 41 produced a lava flow that covered much of the eastern crater floor, while episode 42 produced flows that stopped short of reaching the eastern edge of the crater floor. 

On Thursday, February 26, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists completed a monitoring helicopter overflight of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea.

At the end of their Kīlauea summit overflight on Thursday, February 26, two USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists were dropped off on the floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater to sample lava from summit eruption episode 42 on February 15.

Graphs of ground deformation and earthquake data spanning three eruptions at Mauna Loa.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) geologists on a routine KILAUEA summit monitoring helicopter overflight on Thursday, February 26, collected visual and thermal images to map out the changes on the crater floor following episode 42 lava fountaining at KILAUEA summit that took place on February 15, 2026.

On February 26, 2026, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff visited and serviced the V3 livestreaming camera on the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This map shows lava flow and tephra accumulation at the summit of Kīlauea volcano associated with episode 42 of the ongoing eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu that started on December 23, 2024, using data recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite constellation.

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea, over the timeframe of February 10–16, 2026.

Long strands of Pele's hair, which is made of volcanic glass, drifted on the wind to the southwest during episode 42 of Kīlauea summit lava fountaining on February 15, 2026. This photo shows a bundle of these long strands of Pele's hair after they had blown around in the wind in the community of Pāhala and became tangled up. USGS photo by D. Downs.

Tephra accumulated in the community of Pāhala, about 18.5 miles (30 km) to the southwest of north and south vents in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. A few hours after episode 42 started on February 15, 2026, fine ash of less than 0.03 inch (1 mm) diameter began to accumulate on surfaces.

A telephoto view of the south vent fountain, taken from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater at night on February 15, 2026. Molten clasts falling near the base of the fountain were feeding a channelized flow that carried lava into the eastern portion of the crater.

This telephoto view of the base of the Kīlauea summit episode 42 lava fountains shows the advancing spatter-fed ‘a‘ā flow, taken from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater. In the left side of the photo, molten clasts falling from the south fountain accumulate and feed the source of the spatter-fed flow. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This night-time photo shows north and south vent lava fountains at the summit of Kīlauea, from the south rim of the Halema‘uma‘u crater. The south fountain (left) was fluctuating in height over timescales of seconds. At the bottom of the photo, a spatter-fed ‘a‘ā flow slowly advances, with clinker collapsing along its front. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Photograph of the north vent fountain during episode 42, taken from the northwest rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater on February 15, 2026. Semi-molten clasts feed a small ‘a‘ā lava flow carrying lava north from the base of the north vent lava fountain within the caldera.

The V3cam livestream webcam monitors the episode 42 lava fountaining from the south rim of Kīlauea caldera, USGS photo by M. Patrick on February 15, 2026.

This photo north vent lava fountain during Kīlauea summit eruption episode 42 was captured from the northwest rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater on February 15, 2026.