Images

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory technicians install new lithium batteries at the Hualālai repeater station. The station is located at an elevation of 2,160 meters (7,090 feet), on the southeast side of Hualālai. USGS image by M. Warren.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory technician team did maintenance on the Hualālai repeater station during the week of April 10, 2023. This photo shows the team walking towards the site, which is an important telemetry hub for Hawaiian Volcano Observatory volcano monitoring data. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are visible in the background. USGS image by M. Warren.

The lead electronics technician at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory checks that the new HLcam is transmitting. The HLcam is located on the southeast side of Hualālai and provides views of the northwest flank of Mauna Loa.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory technicians upgraded the Hualālai repeater station to lithium batteries, despite the chilly temperatures on Hualālai. USGS image by M. Warren.

During station maintenance at the Hualālai repeater, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory technicians installed a new webcam, the HLcam. This camera is located on Hualālai and provides view of Mauna Loa's northwest flank.

During the week of April 10, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory technicians upgraded the Hualālai repeater site, which is an important telemetry hub for volcano monitoring data. The site is located on the southeast side of Hualālai, at an elevation of 2,160 meters (7,090 feet) above sea level.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory technician removes the electronics board on the Hualālai repeater station. The electronics board for the station was replaced with a 48-volt system electronics board as part of a station upgrade. USGS image by C. Parcheta.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist drills holes to install a new electronics box for the Hualālai repeater station upgrade. USGS image by M. Warren.

The Vibroseis vehicle that will be operating in the Kīlauea summit region throughout May 2023. The vehicle belongs to the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental facility at the University of Texas at Austin, which is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Project area for the active and passive seismic imaging of the three-dimensional structure and magma system beneath the summit of Kīlauea volcano. The dense nodal array and the Vibroseis truck will allow us to collect data that will lead to improved understanding of the structures and magma storage features beneath the summit of Kīlauea.

Moanalua eighth graders experience a Trashcano eruption demonstration with liquid nitrogen for a school visit at UH Hilo. UH Hilo photo by Meghann Decker.

USGS geophysicists take gravity measurements on the dropped-down block of Kīlauea as part of annual monitoring. Annual microgravity surveys are crucial in confirming whether ongoing uplift or subsidence is caused by magma intrusion or withdrawal.

The Kīlauea summit eruption has been paused since Tuesday, March 7, 2023, and this reference map depicts the Halema‘uma‘u crater floor in its present noneruptive state. The eruption statistics provided here reflect activity up until the pause, since they are derived from measurements taken during a HVO helicopter overflight on Friday, March 10.

USGS scientist, Mike Poland, measures gravity using a gravimeter on the caldera floor of Kīlauea. Measurements of gravity can be used to determine how mass is distributed beneath a volcano. At Kīlauea, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) performs routine microgravity surveys to monitor volcanic activity and to determine changes in gravity. USGS photo by A.

Eruptive activity was paused during the Friday, March 10, overflight of Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. Numerous outgassing sites were present on the crater floor, but not active lava was present on the surface. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Aerial view looking northwest across the eastern part of the western pond basin within Halema‘uma‘u crater; the northern part of the southern pool basin is also visible. In the background, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists are working on the main island that formed in December 2020. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

An aerial view looking down into the frozen pool basin south of the western lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Spatter deposits can be seen all around the pool basin. The circular feature within the pool is the remains of a small, perched pond in the northern part of the pool basin. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

Close-up view of the pebbly, rubbly, and sandy texture of the tephra that formed in December 2020 when lava interacted with the water lake that was present at the base of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the time. Some of this tephra formed the island that then floated around the lava lake, and which is still present today. USGS photo by D. Downs. 

An aerial view of the western vent area shows the red oxidized interior walls of the ramparts with the several steaming areas. The outside southeastern side of the rampart and nearby crater floor is covered by a black apron of dust, possibly created by little tephra bits flying out of the now steaming vent (hole) in the rampart wall. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visiting Halema‘uma‘u crater floor on March 10, 2023. While there, they visited the island of tephra material that formed in December 2020. The island is a composite of red-yellow oxidized pieces that range from sand size to up to a few feet (about a meter) in diameter. USGS photo by D. Downs. 

Aerial image of Halema‘uma‘u crater floor looking north and showing the architecture of the eastern part of the crater floor dominated by the eastern pond basin. The island from the December 2020 eruption can be seen rising in the western (left) side of the photo with the eastern vent area slightly to the east of the island.