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Photo and Video Chronology – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory – October 7, 2022

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory October 7, 2022

The eruption within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea's summit, began at approximately 3:20 p.m. on September 29, 2021. 

HVO scientists collect detailed data to assess hazards and understand how the eruption is evolving at Kīlauea's summit, all of which are shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers. Access to this hazardous area is by permission from, and in coordination with, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. 

Recent Maps 

Color map of lava lake temperature
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) flights on October 5, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater. 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. USGS has special use permits from the National Park Service to conduct official UAS missions as part of HVO’s mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce impacts of volcanic eruptions.
Color map of lava lake temperature
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) flights on October 5, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active lake surface is limited to the western portion of the crater. 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. USGS has special use permits from the National Park Service to conduct official UAS missions as part of HVO’s mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce impacts of volcanic eruptions.
Color map of eruption at summit of volcano
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on October 7, 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 October 5, 2022. Citizen scientists may notice that the eruptive features and statistics provided here are mostly unchanged from the last reference map on September 13, 2022. This is because a magmatic intrusion below Halema‘uma‘u on September 20, 2022, caused some lava to drain from below the crater floor. In the time since, lava has refilled to about the same level as before, and there have been no further ooze-outs to expand the footprint of lava flows from this eruption. Lava is presently visible from three public visitor overlooks in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park: Keanakāko‘i Overlook and Kūpina‘i Pali (Waldron Ledge) can see the eruptive vent and lava lake, while Kīlauea Overlook can occasionally see lava ooze-outs in the southeast part of the crater. Visit the park eruption page for more info: https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/september-2021-eruption.htm.

October 6, 2022

Color photograph of crater
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
View of over half of the crater floor and active lava lake (center right) within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea on October 5, 2022. In this view looking east, all but the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u's crater floor is visible. USGS photo by N. Deligne.
Color photograph of UAS
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
This photo shows a Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) unit staged for take-off on October 5, 2022. Data from this flight will be used to construct an updated high resolution map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. By comparing these detailed topographic maps constructed from routine helicopter and UAS overflights a, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is able to monitor the effusion rate of lava into Halema‘uma‘u. Between September 12 and October 5, 2022, there was a net decrease in the volume within Halema‘uma‘u, likely due to the lake draining and a nearby intrusion on September 20, 2022.

USGS has special use permits from the National Park Service to conduct official UAS missions as part of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's mission to monitor active volcanoes in Hawaii, assess their hazards, issue warnings, and advance scientific understanding to reduce impacts of volcanic eruptions. Launching, landing, or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is prohibited under 36 CFR Closures & Public Use. USGS photo by N. Deligne.
Color photograph of active lava lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
The eruption continues within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. This telephoto, looking east from the rim of Halema‘uma‘u, shows the active lava lake (center), with active lava ponds to the southeast (upper right) and west (lower center). The silvery surface of these three features is the active lava. The western vent complex is visible through the gas in the bottom center of the photo. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

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