A view of the lava fountain erupting from the north vent during episode 51 on July 15, 2026. Fountain heights reached up to about 950 feet (290 meters) and effusion rates reached a peak of about 400 cubic yards per second (300 cubic meters per second) at 10:30 a.m. HST July 15. This photo was taken shortly afterward, at around 11 a.m. HST. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Episode 51 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at about 8:30 a.m. HST on July 15, 2026. This photograph, taken around 11 a.m. from the caldera rim near Kilauea Military Camp, shows the fan-shape of the fountain that developed as the episode progressed. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Lava falling from the north vent fountain during episode 51 in Halemaʻumaʻu on July 15, 2026, feeds a lava flow in the crater. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

During episode 51 of lava fountaining on July 15, 2026, the fountain from the north vent falling on the back side of the cone accumulated into a channelized lava flow that moved eastward on the crater floor away from the vent complex. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

On July 15, Kīlauea summit eruption episode 51 lava fountains were a sight to behold from Uēkahuna overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Large crowds gathered to watch lava fountains from the Halemaʻumaʻu north vent, along with flows on the crater floor. Light tephra fell at Uēkahuna between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. HST, depositing Pele's hair on park visitors' shirts and hats. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

Halemaʻumaʻu north vent lava fountains were reaching about 150 meters (500 feet) in height when a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist snapped this photo from Uēkahuna overlook around 11:45 a.m. HST on July 15 during episode 51. Tephra was lofting even higher in the eruptive plume, then falling on areas from Nāmakanipaio campground to the Footprints trailhead in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.