Images

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.

Photo of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, taken from the southeast corner of the crater during an early morning helicopter overflight on Sunday, January 8, 2023. The eruption within Halema‘uma‘u that began on January 5, 2023, continues, with activity concentrated primarily in the eastern part of the crater.

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

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.

University of Wisconsin—Madison Ph.D. candidate and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) volunteer, Claire Ruggles, measures variations in the strength of gravity (grey box) and precise location (GPS on antenna) at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photograph taken on January 7, 2023, by HVO geophysicist A. Flinders.

B1cam, shows lava erupting from multiple minor fountains (shown as a line of bright spots in the upper left of the video) on the central eastern portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater’s floor on January 7, 2023.

Kīlauea summit morning monitoring overflight on January 6, 2023 at 6:45 a.m. HST captures this aerial view of the new eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater. The eruption is confined to Halemaʻumaʻu crater in the summit caldera. Lava flows have inundated much of the crater floor (which is nearly 300 acres or 120 hectares).

This image, taken early on January 6th, shows a lava fountain on the eastern portion of Halema‘uma‘u. Numerous areas of upwelling, like the one pictured here, are actively feeding the lava lake and re-surfacing material that was emplaced from activity in 2022. This fountain measured 16-33 feet in height (5-10 meters). 

Several areas of active upwelling on the surface of Halema‘uma‘u, as seen from the south rim during an early morning observational shift on January 6, 2023. As the lava reaches the lake's surface, it immediately begins to cool and radiates away from the source.

View of eastern half of lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea summit, in the early morning of January 6, 2023. In this view looking north, four active lava fountains are visible, three in the center of the photo and one in the middle right (smaller).

Webcam sentinels stand watch over the new eruption within Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, in the early morning hours of January 6, 2023. USGS photo taken from the south rim by J.M. Chang.

During an overnight field shift on January 6, 2023, a USGS geologist takes rangefinder measurements to gather information about lava lake levels and fountain dimensions within the newly erupting Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

A new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano began at approximately 4:34 p.m. on Thursday, January 5, 2023. This reference map depicts activity on the second day of the eruption, based on measurements taken from the crater rim at approximately 9:00 a.m. this morning.

This photograph from 9:45 PM January 5, 2023 shows the entire Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor in Kīlauea’s summit caldera resurfaced with new lava that welled out from below the central island.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist documents the new eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The eruption began just after 4:30 p.m. on January 5, 2023, and remains confined to Halema‘uma‘u crater. USGS image by D. Downs.

During the early morning hours of January 5, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists were closely monitoring an increase in earthquake activity and changes in the patterns of ground deformation at Kīlauea’s summit, indicating movement of magma in the subsurface.

A new eruption began within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea just after 4:30 p.m. HST on January 5, 2023. Around 5:45 p.m. on the same day, an additional vent began erupting lava on the floor of the crater. The newer vent is located farther away in this image. USGS image by D. Downs.

On January 5, 2023, HVO’s KW webcam captured dramatic bursts of lava from a new vent that opened in Halemaʻumaʻu crater and a wave of lava that moved out onto the crater floor. USGS webcam image. 

This video, captured by the KWcam, shows a large burst of lava from the newly opened vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater, Kīlauea volcano at approximately 4:49 pm HST on January 5, 2023. This burst reached up to 50 meters (164 feet) high and sent a wave of lava across the crater floor.

The KWcam webcam, on the west rim of Kīlauea caldera, was upgraded on January 4, 2023, to a more advanced model, which provides a slightly wider view and higher image quality. This should provide an improved view of any future activity in Halema‘uma‘u. In this photo, an HVO scientist begins the process of the webcam swap. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The KWcam webcam, on the west rim of Kīlauea caldera, was upgraded on January 4, 2023, to a more advanced model, which provides a slightly wider view and higher image quality. This should provide an improved view of any future activity in Halema‘uma‘u. In this photo, an HVO scientist begins the process of the webcam swap. USGS photo by M. Patrick.