Multimedia Gallery

A telephoto image of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, taken from the northwest rim on November 3. Low roiling lava continues to erupt from the west vent, with occasional larger bursts of spatter. The spatter cone that has built up since the eruption began on September 29, contains ponded lava that supplies the lava lake through the tubed-over spillway. This photo was taken

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on November 4, 2021. One eruptive vent is active within Halema‘uma‘u at this time, along the western edge of the rising lava lake. Similar to the last eruption—from December 2020 until May 2021—the eastern end of the lava lake has stagnated and solidified, and sits several yards (meters) lower than the actively

The extent of the active surface of the lava lake (orange) within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, is clearly delineated as the sun sets on November 2, 2021. Photo taken at 5:56 p.m. HST from the west rim. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Kearstin Findley, PhD candidate, at the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (CRU), photographs a rosyside dace to quantify morphological differences among populations. Kearstin’s Masters work and interests in freshwater fish conservation led her to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Arkansas’s CRU. 

Reducing uncertainties in Eastern black rail conservation. Qualitative value of information to identify field experiments in a resilience-experimentalist adaptive management framework.

Phoenix Aguilar McFarlane is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources at the USGS Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Program. She came to the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) with a can-do attitude and a passion for volunteering in community service and sustainability projects. Through

A sequence of telephoto images of the west vent (spanning 4 seconds), within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea summit. The west vent continues to produce low-level lava fountains (seen here), which are forming an elevated pond of lava within the spatter cone. The pond then supplies lava to the lava lake through a small spillway that is obscured here by the volcanic gas plume. USGS

A telephoto image of the northeast margin of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit, on November 1, 2021. The lava lake has now risen high enough to start covering the lowest portion of the down-dropped block on the north side of Halema‘uma‘u. Lava is just starting to cover a small area—immediately south (right) of a fumarole (white steam and yellow sulfur

A wide view of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, on November 1, 2021. This view, looking east, shows the west vent (bottom center) which continues to supply lava to the active portion of the lava lake, while the eastern portion (far side of lake) is crusted over. The active lake is primarily between the west vent source and the main island (center)

Busting Myths About One of the Largest Volcanic Systems in the World

The Top 10 Misconceptions about Yellowstone Volcanism 

By Michael Poland, USGS Geophysicist

Scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 

• Contrary to popular belief, Yellowstone is not "overdue" for eruption. 

This is a graphical abstract for a publication by the USGS that evaluates satellite imagery for monitoring large Pacific walrus haulouts in northwestern Alaska. Pacific walruses are using coastal haulouts to rest between foraging bouts in the Chukchi Sea more often and in larger numbers in late summer, because climate

Shaded relief map of Henrys Fork Caldera and vicinity. The margin of Henrys Fork Caldera is shown in blue. Note the smooth, low-relief topography within the caldera compared to the steep and dynamic topography associated with Yellowstone Caldera (at the right side of the image).

View looking down at the September-October 2021 lava lake eruption of Halemaʻumaʻu from the F1 thermal camera located on the western rim of the crater at Kīlauea’s summit. Molten material appears as warmer colors of yellow, orange, and pink, whereas cooler material is represented by dark blue and purple colors. The left-hand image is from September 29, 2021, at 5:32 p.m.

Intro

Jane grew up in central New Mexico. She became interested in aquatic ecology, management, and conservation by learning about the amazing diversity of freshwater organisms through an undergraduate research experience studying aquatic insects in the muddy Rio Grande.

Biography

Jane has worked on topics that include

A telephoto image of the southeast margin of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. Although surface activity is confined to the western half of the lava lake and a narrow arm along the southern margin, the entire lava lake surface is continuing to rise. As the lake surface rises, the area of the lake increases, and lava squeezes up in the gap between the

A wide view of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, on October 29, 2021. This view, looking north, shows the west vent (left) which continues to supply lava to the active portion of the lava lake, while the eastern (right) portion is crusted over. The active lake is primarily between the west vent source and the main island (center). USGS photo by N.

View of the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, as seen from the western crater rim. Ponded lava within the west vent cone continues to flow down a spillway and into the lava lake. USGS photo taken on October 29, 2021, by N. Deligne.

The USGS Active Groundwater Level Network includes about 20,000 wells that have been measured by the USGS or USGS cooperators at least once within the past 13 months. The animation shows snapshots of water-level statistics in the network during Octobers 2021.

Refer to the 

Microscope thin-section photo of Lava Creek Tuff “unit 2.” Photo by Ray Salazar (Montana State University) on October 28, 2021.

View of the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Ponded lava within the west vent cone continues to flow down a spillway approximately 6 m (20 ft) into the growing lava lake. This image shows a tube that has developed above the spillway. Photo taken on October 27, 2021, at 11:25 a.m. HST from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u. USGS photo by J.M.

Photographs and a radiograph from a Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Oregon, U.S.A. (A) The deceased sea otter on a beach in Oregon, U.S.A. (Photo courtesy of Hylah Furnish, Oregon State Parks, Oregon, U.S.A.) (B) Puncture wounds are present in a rough line from the left ventrolateral abdomen to the dorsum, where there is a transverse linear

Vertical movement over time recorded at GPS station NRWY, near Norris Geyser Basin, during 2005-2021.

A view of White Mountain -- a deposit of the Heart Mountain detachment -- from the Sunlight Basin Road in Wyoming. Much of the evidence supporting the lamprophyre diatreme triggering mechanism theory for the landslide was gathered at White Mountain.

With the northwestern breakaway point near Silver Gate, MT, the Heart Mountain slide block moved southeast toward Cody, WY (orange arrow). Notable deposits of the debris avalanche include White Mountain, Heart Mountain, and the McCulloch Peaks.

Lava continues to erupt from the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Low lava fountains of only a few meters (yards) tall were common on October 25, with higher bursts sometimes reaching up to 12 meters (39 ft). The cone was measured at 25 meters (82 ft) above the active lava lake surface. Lava ponded inside the cone flows down the spillway—which is about

Eruptive activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The west vent remains active with low fountaining in a slightly perched pond set within the cone. Lava pours through a short spillway into the lava lake. USGS image by M. Patrick.

A wider view of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Active surface lava remains mostly limited to the western side of the lake (right side in this photo). The western vent continues to have low fountaining set within the cone. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This photo from the northwest rim of the caldera shows the western vent supplying lava into the lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. A portion of the lake margin (bottom left in photo) is formed by a perched levee. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Lava exits the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater the morning of October 23, 2021. Simultaneously, lava fountaining at the vent is vigorous enough to send spatter up, over, and onto the outer margin of the cone. This process, spatter accumulation, is how the cone around the west vent formed and continues to grow. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

A view of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea volcano, just after 6 a.m. HST on Saturday, October 23. Lava continues to erupt from the west vent into the lava lake at the base of the crater. Surface activity is limited to the west portion of the lake. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

Morning views of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit, on October 23, 2021. This view is from the south rim of the crater. Lava continues to erupt from a single vent on the western wall of the crater. Lava fountains within the cone and spills out of the cone opening, flowing east into the lake. 

Morning views of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit, on October 23, 2021. This view is from the south rim of the crater. Variable west vent fountain heights are visible in this video, which is shown at 5 times speed. Sporadic foundering, when cooler lava crust on the surface sinks back into the liquid portion of the lava lake below, is also visible

Photomicrographs from Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) found dead in Wisconsin, USA.  (A) In the liver, hepatocytes were replaced by macrophages, lymphocytes, and plasma cells (lower left) with occasional multinucleated giant cells (arrows). H&E stain.  (B) The cecum contains a fibrinonecrotic membrane effacing the mucosa (arrow). H&E stain. (C) Within

Photographs from Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) found dead in Wisconsin, USA.  (A) The liver contains many multifocal to coalescing bullseye-shaped foci of necrosis (arrows). The ventriculus (*) is labeled for orientation. (B) The paired ceca (*) are ectatic with thickened walls. (C) The ceca (opened) are filled with tan-brown liquid content and contain

On the afternoon of Friday, October 22, 2021, the Halema‘uma‘u eruption continued in Kīlaueas summit caldera. The west vent fountains were measured at up to 23 meters (75 ft), viewed here around 2 p.m. HST looking to the west from a vantage point on the south rim of the crater. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

New York Water Science Center Dive Team

Photo from the western rim of Kīlauea caldera looking down on the west vent feeding the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u. Spatter is being thrown 5-10 m (16-33 ft) high out of the west vent onto the walls of the cone that has formed around the lava fountain. The small pond inside the cone is about 2 m (7 ft) higher and forms a small cascade down to the larger lava lake. USGS

View looking east (standing on the western rim of Kīlauea caldera) of the the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater and the west vent feeding the lava lake. Parts of the eastern lava lake are still rising but do not have active lava flows across the top of their surface. The western part of the lava lake still has active flows at the surface, which flow around the north and

Some noticeable topography has formed within the northwestern part of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo from the western rim of the caldera looks down at the northwestern part of the lava lake, where a ledge with a height of 5 m (16 ft) has developed. A small cascade has formed that flows down from the main active part of the west lava lake

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on October 20, 2021. Only one eruptive vent is active within Halema‘uma‘u at this time, along the western edge of the rising lava lake. Similar to the last eruption—from December 2020 until May 2021—the eastern end of the lava lake has stagnated and solidified, and sits several yards (meters) lower than the

The large island that formed during the Halema‘uma‘u December 2020–May 2021 eruption at Kīlauea summit has active lava on both the north and south sides as the new lava lake continues to slowly fill the base of Halema‘uma‘u crater. This photo was taken at 2:15 p.m. HST. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

On October 19, 2021, the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater—at the summit of Kīlauea—showed surface activity by crustal foundering, where warm lava flows on top of older, cooler surface crust that then sinks back into the lake. A 1 m (3 ft) high edge separates the active surface to the west from the stagnant surface to the east. This photo was taken at 2:15 p.m. HST. USGS

On October 19, 2021, the west vent that feeds lava into the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea continues to erupt with 9 m (30 ft) high fountains. Lava within the vent is ponded about 5 m (16 ft) above the lava lake and flows into the lake on through an opening in the cone. This photo was taken at 2 p.m. HST from the south rim of the crater. USGS photo by J.

At 7 p.m. HST on October 19, 2021, the glow from Halema‘uma‘u lava lake colored the gas plume from the erupting west vent red. Meanwhile, the moon was rising in the east, further illuminating the scene above the summit of Kīlauea. The photo was taken from the old crater rim drive on the west side of the crater. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

On October 18, 2021, lava fountaining at the western vent in Halema‘uma‘u was generally a few meters (10 feet) high. However, frequent larger bursts—like the one in this photo—threw lava up to the height of the cone around the vent (approximately 25 meters, or 80 feet, high). With permission, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists continue to monitor the ongoing activity

Lava erupts from the western vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, on October 18, 2021. Activity remains similar to previous days, with lava fountaining occurring through a perched pond within the vent cone and flowing down a short spillway into the lava lake. As lava enters the lake and moves away from the vent, the crust on the surface forms a radial

View of where lava exists the spatter cone at the west vent and flows into the perched lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The silvery lava recently erupted and spreading away from the west vent, while the darker lava at the margin of the lake is cooled and not moving. This photo was taken from the south rim of the crater. USGS photo by N. Deligne.