Images

A lava fountain during the opening episode of the Mauna Ulu eruption feeds lava flows that cover Chain of Craters Road. Both ‘Ālo‘i Crater (lower left) and ‘Alae Crater (upper right) were filled with lava later in the eruption. Photo taken on May 28, 1969.

Several streams of lava were entering the water near Kupapa`u Point. Here at the eastern end of the ocean entry a narrow stream is battered by the surf.

Several streams of lava were entering the water near Kupapa`u Point. Here at the eastern end of the ocean entry a narrow stream is battered by the surf.

Breakouts near the shoreline have diminished over the past week, but surface flows remain active closer to the base of the pali on the coastal plain.

Lakes and drainages within the watershed of Mount St. Helens.

A surge of "blue glassy" pāhoehoe flows out of an inflated flow margin near the shoreline. This type of lava is thought to be stored within an inflating flow for up to a few days, changing its color and texture.

Only a few scattered breakouts were active near the shoreline, with most of the activity on the coastal plain closer to the base of the pali. This pāhoehoe lobe was active near the east margin of the Peace Day flow field just a few hundred meters (yards) from the coastline.

A small pāhoehoe lobe flows into a crack on the coastal plain.

As this pāhoehoe lobe flows into the crack, the surface layer rolls up creating a ropy texture that is common on pāhoehoe flows.

The ocean entry near Kupapa`u Point remains active, with numerous streams of lava entering the water over a wide section of coastline.

A portion of this pāhoehoe flow is channeled into a crack by two surrounding tumuli.

This photo, looking south, shows lava spilling from the small, perched lava lake on the northeast side of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater floor. The rim on the east side of the crater, in the background, has been nearly completely buried and is no longer discernable.

Activity at the ocean entry near Kupapa‘u Point has increased slightly over the past several days, with small entry points now spread along the coastline on both sides of the National Park boundary. Whale watching season has also arrived—the splash of whitewater near the bottom center part of the photo is from a breaching whale investigating the ocean entry.

Eruptive activity in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has picked up over the past week. Lava flows erupting sporadically from several places continue to fill the crater and occasionally spill out onto the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. This view, looking southwest, shows new lava from active and recent flows on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's eastern flank.

Tephra falling from a lava fountain on September 6, 1983, helped build the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone, which eventually reached a maximum height of 255 m (835 ft) in 1986.

View of the front of the slowly advancing ‘A‘ā flow at the base of the pali.

The small lava lake on the northeast side of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater floor produced several short flows since last night (January 9). This morning, two separate flows spilled from the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater and onto the northeast flank of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone. The flows are visible at the lower left side of the photo.

A breakout from the active lava tube near the base of the pali in Royal Gardens yesterday fed lava onto the coastal plain. This morning, the breakout fed a small ‘A‘ā flow, seen in this photo. Several streams of lava from the breakout point are visible in the background.

This is a thermal image, looking southwest, showing the active lava flows on the coastal plain. The ocean entry points are to the left, and the breakout near the base of the pali in Royal Gardens is to the right. The active flows near the ocean straddle the National Park boundary (i.e. both inside and outside the Park).

Zoomed-in view of the lava lake on the northeast side of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater floor.

Zoomed-in view of the lava lake on the northeast side of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater floor.