On August 25, 2026, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews were on an overflight of Kīlauea summit when the start of episode 54 lava fountaining began at 10:30 a.m. HST. This aerial view of the growing fountains was taken looking toward the west. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Around 11 a.m. HST on August 25, 2026, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews had an aerial view of a growing lava fountain at the summit of Kīlauea during the onset of episode 54. The north vent was fountaining and feeding lava flows across the floor of Halema‘uma‘u and no lava was observed in the south or the west vents (shown here on the left side of the photo, foreground and background, respectively). USGS photo by K. Lynn. 

The north vent fountain was growing around 11 a.m. HST on August 25, 2026, when USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews made observations during an overflight of Kīlauea summit. This view of the vent complex shows the north vent fountain (foreground left) and the inactive south (background left) and west (background right) vents. USGS photo by K. Lynn. 

Episode 54 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at 10:30 HST on August 25, 2026. At the time this photograph was taken, from the north rim of the caldera around 11 a.m., the fountain from the north vent was about 50-75 feet (15-20 meters) meters high. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

The episodic lava fountaining eruption at Kīlauea summit has been taking place within Kaluapele, the summit caldera. In this photo, taken during episode 54 on August 25, 2026, around 11:45 a.m. from Uēkahuna bluff within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the north vent lava fountain is visible above the rim of the caldera, which has accumulated a tephra hill in the downwind direction of the vents. USGS photo by L. Forster. 

The K2 cam is located on a tower near Uēkahuna bluff in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This image, captured by the K2cam at 11:46 a.m. HST on August 25, 2026, shows visitors at the overlook viewing the lava fountain from the north vent that erupted during episode 54. USGS webcam photo. 

Visitors view episode 54 lava fountaining from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea on August 25, 2026. The north vent lava fountain reached an estimated 500 feet (150 meters) above ground level, and its plume reached 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) above sea level. Ground-level sensors near the eruptive vents indicate that winds are blowing from the northeast direction, which suggests that volcanic gas emissions and volcanic material may be distributed to the southwest direction from Halemaʻumaʻu. USGS photo by D. Downs. 

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas scientist collects FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer) data during lava fountaining episode 54 in Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea. This data is used to measure the chemical composition of volcanic gas being emitted during eruptive episodes. USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

The V1 livestreaming camera, located on the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of  Kīlauea, captured this image of the episode 54 lava fountain at 11:47 a.m. HST. At that time, the lava fountain from the north vent was an estimated 400 feet (120 meters) high. USGS webcam image. 

Lava fountains from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu, at the summit of Kīlauea volcano in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park during episode 54 on August 25, 2026. USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

The north vent lava fountain in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea was about 150 meters (500 feet) in height around 12:30 p.m. HST on August 25, two hours after the start of episode 54. The volcanic plume rose to around 17,000 feet (5,200 m) above sea level. This photo was taken from Uēkahuna, alongside numerous visitors to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

Visitors at Uēkahuna in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park view lava fountaining from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea on August 25, 2026. This photo was taken about 70 minutes after the start the episode 54. USGS photo by N. Deligne. 

The lava fountain erupting from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 54 on August 25, 2026, generated a lava flow on the caldera-wall side of the vent complex. This lava flow skirted the northwest part of the caldera wall. Significant lava flows fed by the north vent lava fountain also traveled away from the vent on the south part of Halemaʻumaʻu. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

The landscape at the summit of Kīlauea has changed during the course of the episodic lava fountaining eruption that began in December 2024. This photograph, taken during episode 54 on August 25, 2026, shows the impressive hill of tephra on the west rim of the caldera, that has built up in the predominant downwind direction from the lava fountains. The vent complex within the caldera has grown with the eruption and is approaching the crater rim as shown in this photograph.  USGS photo by M. Patrick.