Images

A helicopter overflight on January 17, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The largest lava lake is located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. This photo from the January 17 overflight looks west and shows that the eastern lake, in the foreground, remains stable. This eastern lake is supplied by a single fountain marked by the bright spot of incandescence.

A layer of fog covers the southern portion of Kīlauea Iki crater, as shown by this early morning overflight photo. USGS photo by C. Parcheta.

Plumes of steam were easily visible coming from Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff) during the January 17 overflight of Kīlauea summit. USGS photo by C. Parcheta.

The eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues with steady lava lake activity. The largest lake is in the eastern portion of the crater, and is supplied by a single fountain. A smaller lake is also active in the western portion of the crater, along with two other much smaller lakes. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A helicopter overflight on January 17, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The largest lava lake is located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

This compilation shows thermal maps since the start of the eruption in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The map sequence shows the focusing of lava lake activity into two main lakes on the crater floor. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.

The location of permanent and temporary seismic instruments deployed across the southeast part of the Island of Hawai‘i. Shaded white areas show dense regions of earthquakes interpreted as the Pāhala sill complex. Dashed white box outlines a region of sparsely spaced volcano-tectonic earthquakes that lie between the Kīlauea summit and Pāhala. 

View of the continuing eruption within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea at dawn looking eastwards on January 11, 2023. Lava is erupting within the southeast portion of the crater (middle) and within the basin in the western half of the crater that was the focus of activity in 2021–2022 (center bottom).

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption on January 11, 2023. The provided eruption statistics are derived from helicopter overflight data collected on January 8, 2023, but map features have been updated based on January 11 webcam views.

A plume emanates from the western side of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, reaching the clouds of the inversion layer. The eruption within Halema‘uma‘u continues, with activity concentrated primarily in the eastern part of the crater (not shown) and a basin in the western part of the crater that was the focus of activity during the 2021-2022 eruption.

A helicopter overflight on January 10, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active vents are located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

HVO geologists on an early morning helicopter overflight captured this scene of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. The weather patterns at the time of the flight were causing the plume to stagnate and sit in Halema‘uma‘u, creating this haze shown in the caldera. Lava is still actively erupting within Halema‘uma‘u, seen here as the orange glow. USGS image by L. Gallant.

A view of HVO's old office building and the Jaggar Museum captured on an early morning overflight of Kīlauea summit. An inversion layer is sitting in the saddle between Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. An inversion layer forms when there is a temperature inversion of the atmosphere (warm air on top of cold air).

A helicopter overflight on January 10, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active vents are located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

Unvegetated Big Obsidian Flow about 500 m (1640 ft) below people. Central Pumice Cone separates East Lake (distant) and Paulina Lake.

Photo of active lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, taken during an helicopter overflight on January 8, 2023. Photo is taken from the east, and Mauna Loa appears in the background. Activity is focused in the eastern portion of Halema‘uma‘u, along with the basin within the western portion of the crater that was the focus of activity in 2021-2022.

Photo of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, taken during a 7:00 am HST helicopter overflight on Sunday, January 8, 2023. Multiple overlapping photos like this, taken as the helicopter flies around the crater, are used to create Structure-for-Motion (SfM) 3-D models.

Telephoto view of the most active lava fountain during a helicopter overflight of the current eruption within Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea, taken on January 8, 2023. This fountain is within the eastern half of Halema‘uma‘u.

A helicopter overflight on January 8, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active vents are located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

A helicopter overflight on January 8, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active vents are located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.