Images

Tilt record from December 1, 2025, to May 12, 2026, for tiltmeter UWD near the summit of Kīlauea, during which lava fountaining episode 38–46 occurred. Deflationary tilt is shown as a tilt “decrease” and inflationary tilt as an “increase”. Tilt variations during pauses, especially after episode 41, have led to adjustments of the forecast windows.

During a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit on May 12, 2026, scientists landed on Halema‘uma‘u crater floor with permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

The arrival of misty rains during the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on May 12, 2026, precluded a full imaging of the Halema‘uma‘u crater floor, but it did offer views of an ānuenue (rainbow) in front of the Kīlauea summit eruptive vents. USGS photo by P. Dotray.

On May 12, 2026, a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight around Halema‘uma‘u crater flew past the Kīlauea summit eruptive vents to the southwest, offering a rarely seen view of the vents from the crater wall side. Large patches of sulfur minerals (yellow and brown) have formed in the tephra deposits on this side of the vents.

Episode 46 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea at 8:17 a.m. HST on May 5th, 2026. This panoramic photograph, taken from the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu at 1 p.m. HST, shows the lava fountain from the north vent feeding a channelized lava flow across the crater floor. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

During the beginning of episode 46 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026, winds blew from the southeast direction.

Just after 10 a.m. on May 5, 2026, the eruption plume from episode 46 of Kīlauea summit lava fountaining was visible in the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory MLcam, located on the north rim of Mokuʻāweoweo (Mauna Loa summit caldera).

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist monitors episode 46 lava fountain in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea. From various locations around Kaluapele, Kīlauea summit caldera, USGS scientists check for tephra fallout, document and characterize eruptive activity, and measure the lava fountain and volcanic plume heights. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This photograph was taken by the KWcam located on the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater during episode 46 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026. The episode began at 8:17 a.m.

From the north rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea, the lava fountain from the north vent rises above the crater rim visible in the foreground. This photograph was taken just after 10 a.m. HST, and cooled, dark-colored tephra particles falling from the lava fountain are visible, illuminated by the incandescent lava fountain the background.

During episode 46 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea, the lava fountain from the north vent reached a maximum of 650 feet (200 meters) above ground level and the volcanic plume reached a maximum height of about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) above ground level around 10:30 a.m. HST on May 5, 2026. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

During episode 46 at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026, the north vent erupted lava fountains reaching a maximum height of 650 feet (200 meters) above the vent. This photograph was taken from the north rim of Kaluapele, Kīlauea summit caldera, at approximately 1 p.m. HST. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

The lava fountain from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea viewed from the south rim at approximately 3 p.m. HST on May 5, 2026. Channelized lava flowing from the north vent fed lava flows on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This image shows the north vent in Halema‘uma‘u erupting a lava fountain during episode 46 at Kīlauea summit on May 5, 2026. This image was captured by a timelapse camera located on the south rim of the caldera. USGS webcam image. 

This map shows lava flow and tephra accumulation at the summit of Kīlauea volcano associated with episode 45 and 46 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.

The north vent (right in photo) in Halemaʻumaʻu erupted a lava fountain during episode 46 at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026. The south vent (left in photo) spattered intermittently during the first half of episode 46, and gas jetting continued to be visible during the latter half of episode 46. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volcanic gas specialist sets up a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer, or FTIR, near Kīlauea summit during episode 46 of lava fountaining on May 5, 2026.

From the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, the north vent lava fountain during episode 46 on May 5, 2026, rose above the crater rim. In the foreground, the damaged remains of Crater Rim Drive, which became impassable during the 2018 Kīlauea summit collapse, are littered with tephra fallout from past lava fountaining episodes. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Pele's hair, lapilli, and ash particles from episode 46 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea were transported by wind in a north-northwest direction during the latter half of the episode on the afternoon of May 5, 2026.

This macro photograph shows Pele's hair, strands of volcanic glass, that had accumulated into a tumble-weed-like structure where it fell at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field station near Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. A highlighter cap provides a scale. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Another view of the north vent erupting a lava fountain at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 46 on May 5, 2026. This photograph was taken from the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu, and part of the crater rim visible in the foreground. Incandescent lava flows on the crater floor are visible emanating downslope of the north vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick.