Images

Earthquakes in oceanic environments can generate pressure waves that travel long distances within the ocean itself. Much like seismographs record ground shaking, this energy is recorded by submerged hydrophones measuring pressure changes in water.

Telephoto view of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, on July 29, 2022. Two small areas of incandescent orange glow can be seen on the south side of the cone. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Telephoto view of the active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. During an eruption monitoring shift on July 29, 2022, spattering was observed along the eastern margin of the active lake. Additionally, crustal plates (darker pieces within the silvery active lava lake) were observed forming and breaking apart. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Photo of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, taken on July 29, 2022, from the southwest rim. Abundant fumes can be seen coming from the west vent, on the far left side of the photo. The west vent continues to feed the active lava lake, which is the silver-colored area to the east (right) of the west vent. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Another telephoto view of the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey, taken as the helicopter traversed over Halema‘uma‘u crater floor, at Kīlauea summit. This photo was taken from Uēkahuna overlook within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and helicopter and loop are visible in the center left of the image.

Telephoto image of helicopter flying the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey over Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022. The walls of Kīlauea caldera are visible in the background of the image. Photograph by Ray Crum.

This morning, July 28, the USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory flew the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey over Kaluapele—Kīlauea summit caldera—within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. A helicopter flew about 120-175 ft above the ground in a grid-like pattern with a 40-ft horizontal loop suspended 35 ft below it.

A view of the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey over Kaluapele—Kīlauea summit caldera—taken from Uēkahuna overlook in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The loop system below the helicopter transmits weak, low-frequency radio waves into the ground and measures the Earth response as well as passively detects variations in the Earth’s magnetic field.

Telephoto view of the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey helicopter flying over Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022. Photograph by Ray Crum. 

This map shows the location of the Wahapele vent (star) and lava flow (red) on Hualālai volcano. The approximate boundary between Hualālai and Mauna Loa is indicted by a dashed line. The lava flow extends 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) farther into the ocean.

A telephoto view of the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey over Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) on July 28, 2022. The helicopter and hoop are visible in the center of the image, surveying over the down-dropped block within Kīlauea caldera. This project is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R.

From the eruption-viewing area near Keanakāko‘i crater, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey helicopter and hoop were visible within Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022. This survey, which is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R.

The Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey helicopter and hoop were visible within Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022, from the eruption-viewing area near Keanakāko‘i crater, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. NPS Photo/J.Wei 

Telephoto image of the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey being flown over Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022. The South Sulphur Bank area is visible in the background of the image as a light-colored deposits on the left side. NPS Photo/J.Wei 

Telephoto image of the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey helicopter and hoop flying over Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022.

Telephoto image of the the Airborne Electromagnetic and Magnetic (AEM) survey helicopter and hoop flying over Kīlauea caldera on July 28, 2022. During the survey, which is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 2157), the helicopter flew about 150 feet above the ground. Photograph by Ray Crum. 

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on July 22, 2022. One eruptive vent (orange) is active within Halema‘uma‘u, on the western side of the crater floor. An adjacent pond (purple) is feeding lava to a larger lake (red) via a crusted-over tube. The eruption statistics provided here are current as of the last HVO overflight on July 19, 2022.

HVO geologist Frank Trusdell collects a sample of lava from the fissure 8 channel during Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone eruption in July 2018 (A. Hara). Inset photo shows Trusdell presenting an update on Mauna Loa for a West Hawaii Community Forum in February 2018 (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today).  

An aerial view of the Sulphur Banks area and Ha‘akulamanu trail within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park taken during an overflight of Kīlauea summit on July 19, 2022. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas geochemists sample fumaroles in the Sulphur Banks area approximately every three months to track long-term changes in volcanic gas chemistry at Kīlauea.

Aerial view of Mauna Loa taken during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight of Kīlauea summit on July 19, 2022. USGS image by K. Mulliken. 

During a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight on July 19, 2022, lava was oozing out the northern edge of Halema‘uma‘u crater floor. Incandescent lava is visible in this area, near the bottom center of this image, where lava is slowly encroaching on the large down-dropped block that formed during the 2018 caldera collapse.