Photo and Video Chronology — Kīlauea East Rift Zone webcam maintenance and new Kīlauea interferogram | U.S. Geological Survey

Photo and Video Chronology — Kīlauea East Rift Zone webcam maintenance and new Kīlauea interferogram

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory October 23, 2024

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists conducted maintenance on a webcam on the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, where a recent interferogram shows magma continues to accumulate underground.

October 23, 2024 — Routine maintenance on Kīlauea East Rift Zone webcam

Color photograph of webcam on tripod located on an inactive lava flow field

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

The R3cam is a webcam on the east flank of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, and it monitors areas downrift of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō. Given the recent eruptive activity in nearby Nāpau crater, this webcam is essential for detecting any changes that could occur in the area during future unrest. Today, USGS geologists visited to site to dry out the camera enclosure and add new desiccant. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of USGS scientist examining webcam

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

An HVO geologist inspects the R3cam webcam enclosure, which had a small amount of water accumulation in recent months that obscured the image. This area of the volcano experiences very high rainfall. Drying out the enclosure and adding fresh desiccant should keep the camera views clear in the future. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of the rim of a crater filled with steam

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

This photo looks west along the south rim of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō. Red ash from the collapses during 2018 fills depressions in the lava flows, allowing moss and small ferns to grow. Green vegetation such as this was not observed by geologists near the rim during the 1983-2018 eruption, presumably due to high gas concentrations. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of red volcanic ash on black volcanic rock with some tiny green ferns growing

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

A view of vegetation that has appeared along the rim of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō since 2018, and the red ash along the rim that was deposited during the 2018 collapses. Handheld radio for scale. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of red volcanic ash on black volcanic rock with greenery growing in some areas

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Another view of moss and ferns along the rim of Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. The red ash originates from collapses within the crater during 2018. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph looking down into a volcanic crater filled with mist

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

A view into Pu‘u‘ō‘ō's crater from the south rim. The white layers represent numerous lava flows and spatter-fed flows formed during periods of high fountaining in the 1980s. The crater floor collapsed in 2018, and dropped by more than 300 meters (yards). Subsequent collapses have filled the deepest part of the crater. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

October 23, 2024—InSAR image of Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone deformation

Color map showing ground deformation on a volcano — This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea over the timeframe of October 6–18, 2024. Data were acquired by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellites. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation. Each color cycle represents 2.8 cm (1.1 in) of ground motion. The symbol in the upper left indicates the satellite's orbit direction (arrow) and look direction (bar). The round feature north of Nāpau and Makaopuhi Craters on the middle East Rift Zone indicates ground surface inflation over this time period as magma accumulates underground near the recent September 15–20, 2024, eruption site. Fringes at Kaluapele are due to new topography created by past lava flows, that has not yet been incorporated into our digital elevation model (DEM). For information about interpreting interferograms, see this "Volcano Watch" article: Reading the rainbow: How to interpret an interferogram.

Was this page helpful?