Videos

Visual photographs taken during a helicopter overflight of Halema'uma'u crater on January 7, 2021 (at Kīlauea Volcano) are used to create a 3D model of the crater. This technique is called structure-from-motion photogrammetry and uses the multiple perspectives captured in dozens of photos to reconstruct the crater shape on a computer.

A helicopter overflight at approximately 10:30 a.m. HST provided views of the ongoing eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater. Video is shown at 3 x speed. HVO geologists noted that the dome fountain, which had been persistent near the base of the west vent area, had subsided and was no longer present. Lava continues to enter the lake at the base of the west vents.

Telephoto video of lava flow and fountaining in Halema‘uma‘u lava lake; spatter bursts from the active west fissure vent in Halema‘uma‘u.

Gearing up for Landing Day - An Interview with USGS Contractor and Mars Rover Team Member, Alicia Vaughan

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

The activity at the Halema‘uma‘u west vent area on January 5, 2021, was dynamic. In the foreground, a “dome fountain” upwells from beneath the lake surface, pulsing with a bubble-like geometry. Just behind it, an effusive lava flow emerges from the base of the vent structure. A mid-elevation vent is also active, emitting another effusive lava flow.

The waves of sugar cane that once defined the Hawaiian island landscape of Maui, have slowly given way to non-native annual grasses in recent decades. Those grasses have become a fire hazard along the way.

Lava forms a “dome fountain” at the inlet to the lava lake in Halema'uma'u crater January 2-3, 2021. Lava from the western vent cascades beneath roofed vertical channels to enter the lava lake at an inlet that has become partially submerged. The result is a rolling upwelling of lava near the inlet called a “dome fountain.”

These videos show an increase in the surface activity where lava is entering the lake. 

Videos of the eruption and lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u on January 1, 2021.

This is an animation showing the changing conditions of USGS streamgages from October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. The river conditions shown range from the driest condition seen at a gage (red open circles) to the wettest (blue closed circles). A purple outer ring around a gage indicates it is flooding.

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, provides an overview of activity at Yellowstone during December 2020.

 

This video, taken with a telephoto lens from an observation location on the rim, shows a process called “foundering”, in which a segment of cool lava crust on the surface of the lava lake is overridden by less-dense liquid from below causing the crust to sink into the underlying lake lava.

Video from a helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit eruption on December 30, 2020, around 10:00 a.m., shows the western vents (area of bluish-colored gas emissions on left) erupting through crusted-over channels into a lava lake within Halema'uma'u crater.

Watch the changes in the growing lava lake within Halema'uma'u crater in these thermal maps from December 21-30, 2020.

29 December 2020 - Kīlauea Volcano - US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. This video, taken early morning on December 29, 2020, shows lava erupting from the west fissure in Halema‘uma‘u and pouring into the lava lake. Laser rangefinder measurements indicate that the opening lava pours from is 4-6 m (13-20 ft) wide. USGS video by H. Dietterich.

Kīlauea Volcano, U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory timelapse of thermal imagery showing Halema‘uma‘u west vents and lava entering the lava lake. This timelapse was taken over one hour, between approximately 10 and 11 p.m on December 29, 2020.

Social scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center – in collaboration with the USGS National Land Imaging Program – conduct Earth observation user case studies using qualitative research methods.

Social scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center – in collaboration with the USGS National Land Imaging Program – conduct Earth observation user case studies using qualitative research methods.

Lava flowing from the western fissure vent feeds multiple channels. This video was taken by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's geology field team on December 28, 2020, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. The team is located at an observation point on the rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, and is using a telephoto lens to document fissure behavior.

28 December 2020 - Kīlauea Volcano, US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - A helicopter overflight this morning (9:30 a.m. HST) provided aerial views of the eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. This video shows the lava lake and active west vent. The spatter rampart built by the northern/eastern vent that is no longer erupting is visible on the crater wall.