Images

On December 4, at 9:20 a.m., a collapse in the Halema‘uma‘u vent turned the plume a dusty-brown color and deposited a thin layer of ash on the road downwind of the vent. Forty minutes later, at 10:00 a.m., the plume was greatly diminished. Since this December 4 event, the plume has been small and wispy, except when heavy rains cause an increase in steam.

The lava bench at East Lae‘apuki on November 21, 2005 before the collapse and on November 29, 2005 after the collapse.

Gas emissions from the crater of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea's east rift zone (foreground) and the summit vent in Halema‘uma‘uCrater (background, just below the clouds) create volcanic pollution that affects the air quality of downwind communities. USGS photo by Tim Orr.

Footprints made in muddy ash during Kīlauea's 1790 eruption are reminders that people experienced the largest explosive eruption in Hawai‘i in 1,000 years. Several hundred, and possibly more than a few thousand, people were killed by the eruption soon after the footprints were made.

Views of the east wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater on March 10 and 13, 2008, showing the emergence of a new gas vent. The Halema‘uma‘u crater overlook is circled. Note the large gas plume in the right frame taken on March 13, 2008.

Views of April 6 and 10, 2008, showing the before and after effect of the April 9 11:08 p.m. explosion

Lava spilling down the steep pali this morning formed many small channels and ‘A‘ā flows. Many such flows were visible on the pali overnight.

This photograph shows two channels of lava coming over the sea cliff, reaching the new lava delta.

Close view of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. Incandescent spatter cone stands above fume rising from the main vent area. Lava is still erupting in the lava pond, marked by the smooth shiny surface behind the spatter cone, but the level appears to have stabilized overnight.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

The current lava flow, coming down the pali and traversing the coastal plain, reached the ocean late last week. The ocean entry point is within the National Park, near its eastern border. Today, numerous small streams of lava were cascading over the sea cliff, and lava entering the water was starting to build a small delta.

View looking southwest of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō cone and crater. The fume sources on the northeast flank (lower left) mark the path of the lava tube that is feeding flows on the pali. The vent feeding the tube is the fuming area near the crater rim (center); an active circular lava pond is immediately behind the vent.

pāhoehoe flows spreading on the coastal plain about 0.6 km from the base of the pali. When visited this morning, the flows had spread out considerably as they filled in low areas of the coastal plain. The leading edge of the flows were about 2.5 km from the ocean.

Map showing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the extent of nearby lava flows. The currently active flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to November 21, and bright red marks flow expansion from November 21 to December 2. The contour interval on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is 5 m.

This photograph, taken from the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, shows a cone in the crater which was occasionally spitting minor amounts of spatter from the incandescent opening at its top.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

Active pāhoehoe, fed by a lava tube originating at Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, has been migrating downslope within the Royal Gardens subdivision over the past week. The flow front is outlined by the white dotted line. The flow is running alongside a forested kipuka, triggering brush fires visible in the photo.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

A collapse of a thin portion of the roof over the lava tube reveals the lava stream beneath the surface. The fluid stream is the bright orange color, with the dark orange area to the left representing the hot, incandescent tube wall. The lava stream today was relatively slow moving in the tube, perhaps reflecting a low rate of lava supply to the flow front.

For a brief period this afternoon a vigorously spattering vent at the east end of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater fed a swiftly moving river of lava that cascaded into the deeper portions of the crater. The cascade was over within about ten minutes of this photograph, but the vent continued to spatter.

Map showing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the extent of nearby lava flows. The currently active flow (episode 61) is shown as the two shades of red—pink is the extent of the flow from September 21 to November 10, and bright red marks flow expansion from November 10 to November 21. The contour interval on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is 5 m.