Videos

This video clip from February 4, 2021, shows the erupting west vent and the growing lava lake within Halema'uma'u. The start of this video focuses on the active western portion of the lava lake, which measured approximately 212 m (696 ft) deep at this time. A plume of volcanic gas is seen rising continuously from the west vent.

Presenter: Ethan Shavers, USGS National Geospatial Program Center for Excellence in GIS (CEGIS)

Topic: Automating Validation and Update of the NHD

Eruptive activity continues at the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This video was taken on February 1 from the morning helicopter overflight. The western fissure supplies lava to the lake at an inlet site along the west lake margin. Activity has been stable in recent days with no major changes.
 

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone Volcano during January 2021.

 

Eruptive activity continues within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The western fissure continues to supply lava into the lava lake, with active surface lava largely confined to the western portion of the lake.
 

The visible impact of climate change on the Earth’s surface is often clearest in the Arctic’s receding glaciers and swelling glacial lakes. Southeastern Alaska’s Harlequin Lake is one of the fastest-growing in North America. These false color Landsat images show the rapidly-retreating Yakutat Glacier, which feeds the lake.

Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species. Researchers at the USGS Alaska Science Center work in collaboration with many partner agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities and rehabilitation centers to investigate seabirds.

The surface temperature of the land changes rapidly across the world throughout the course of one year. This video shows the changing temperatures throughout 2020 using 8-day land surface temperature (LST) data from the Terra MODIS satellite sensor.

Because Mauna Loa has been quiet for almost 30 years, residents may not be aware that Mauna Loa is an active volcano. When Mauna Loa erupts, it is capable of disrupting lives and commerce throughout the Island of Hawai‘i. What can we learn from Mauna Loa’s past eruptions?

Cyclic fluctuations in eruptive vigor were present recently at the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The cycles occurred on January 22 and 23, with cycles lasting 5-6 minutes. Peaks in the cycles were expressed as high flow rates in the channel and spattering at the vents. During troughs in the cycles, the channel became nearly inactive.

Gearing up for Landing Day - An Interview with USGS Scientist and Mars Rover Team Member, Dr. Ryan Anderson

Flames have been observed numerous times at the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The combusting gas is not certain, but flames were observed numerous times in Halema‘uma‘u during the early 1900s lava lake.

On December 26th, 2004, a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The third largest earthquake ever recorded lifted the sea floor several meters, causing tsunami waves to ripple out in all directions and race across the ocean. Banda Aceh bore the brunt of the waves just 15 to 20 minutes after the earthquake.

On December 20, 2020, an eruption began in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea Volcano’s summit, ending a two-year eruptive pause. The water lake that appeared at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u in late July 2019, which had grown to be over 50 meters (55 yards) deep and more than 10 acres in surface area, quickly vaporized and was replaced by a growing lava lake.

This video shows the two main vents active at the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit, with both supplying lava to the lava lake. Low fountaining was present at each vent. 
 

Low fountaining remains active in the western fissure, supplying lava to the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Spatter deposits have built up a spatter cone around the vent.

A helicopter overflight on the morning of January 12, provided airborne views of the lava lake and active fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Low fountaining was present at the western fissure, with active surface lava limited to the western portion of the lava lake.

This video taken on January 12, 2021, shows the west vent within Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Low fountaining of about 5 m (16 ft) high is visible inside the spatter cone that has formed. The fountain is producing a cascade of lava—about 35 m (115 ft)—down to the lava lake.
 

This video taken on January 11, 2021 shows the surface activity had increased at the western fissure over the past two days, within Halema'uma'u at the summit of Kīlauea. Low fountaining was supplying lava to an open channel that poured into the lava lake. 
 

This video shows crustal foundering and resurfacing at the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea on January 8, 2021. Recently this foundering process has been common in the eastern portion of the lake. The video is shown at 20x speed.

This video shows activity at the western fissure, in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea on January 8, 2021. The lava stream entering the lake appeared weaker than several days ago, when a dome fountain was active.