Images

HVO scientists conducted an overflight of Kīlauea's summit the morning of March 4 to document the ongoing eruption. No significant changes were observed—the vent in the northwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u continues to erupt and lava continues to slowly fill the crater.

During the overflight of Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone on March 4, HVO scientists documented different lava textures in the fissure 8 flow field that formed during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption. This photo shows an area of fissure 8 flows near the ocean. Both rubbly ‘a‘ā (brownish black) and smooth pāhoehoe (grey) are visible. USGS image by K.

HVO uses regular Kīlauea summit helicopter overflights of Halema‘uma‘u crater to create digital elevation models (DEMs) of the crater. The DEMs show changes in the crater over time and can be used to estimate erupted volume, eruption rate, and map features of interest.

An aerial view of Pu‘u Pua‘i, Kīlauea Iki, and Kīlauea caldera. Though the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u isn't visible from this vantage point, the bluish-tinged plume of volcanic gasses is visible near the center of the photo.

HVO's overflight today also included KILAUEA's lower East Rift Zone, where geologists continue to document and map the 2018 eruption deposits. Fissure 8, visible in the center of this photo, emits steam as this geologically-young feature continues to cool.

Another view of Kīlauea caldera, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Ha‘akulamanu (Sulphur Banks) trail is visible in the foreground. The gas plume rising from Halema‘uma‘u in the background marks where the current eruption is taking place. Uēkahuna—the summit of Kīlauea—is visible in the upper right portion of the image. USGS image by K.

ANIMATED GIF: This animated image file (GIF) includes a series of thermal maps—ranging from daily to several weeks apart—made from helicopter overflight thermal imagery of Halema‘uma‘u crater, Kīlauea summit. The set of thermal maps are in a continuous loop showing the lava lake changes throughout the eruption.

View of the Kīlauea summit lava lake taken from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u at 12:21 p.m. HST on March 3, 2021. The western portion of the lava lake is active with lava being fed from the west vent. The eastern surface of the lava lake remains crusted over. SO₂ emission rates are elevated at approximately 1000 t/d, as measured on March 3, 2021.

Another close-up view of the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u, showing the incandescent lava upwelling at the inlet zone along the western lake margin. This photo was taken on March 2, 2021, in an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public due to safety reasons. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. Lava is entering the lake at a small inlet along the western lake margin, at the site of the western fissure. Active surface lava remains limited to the western portion of the lake. Scattered crustal foundering and small overflows were present on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. USGS photo by M.

The western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u remains active, with incandescence visible in two small vent openings. The northeastern incandescent vent opening (right) has a narrow, drained lava channel extending down the flank of the cone. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on March 2, 2021.

The eastern portion of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u remains solidified at the surface. Numerous islands, previously drifting in the lake currents, are now locked in place. The remnants of a section of Crater Rim Drive, from the 2018 summit collapse, is visible in the lower right corner of the photo. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on March 2, 2021.

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake has filled 218 m (715 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 735 m (2411 ft) asl since the eruption began at approximately 9:30 p.m. HST on December 20, 2020.

Heavy rains at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawaii) cleared on the afternoon of Friday, February 26, 2021, to show the steaming surface of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u viewed from the west.

On the afternoon of Friday February 26, 2021, the active west side of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, had numerous surface breakouts and foundering crust amid vigorous steaming due to the heavy rainfall. This view is looking to the east from the west side of the crater.

In the morning of Tuesday, February 23, a new source of spatter appeared on flank of the active western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. It started to feed a short lava flow down the spatter cone and onto the crusted northwest margin of the lava lake.

On Wednesday, February 24, HVO scientists observed the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u from the west rim of the crater. In this photo, the active western fissure is marked by an incandescent skylight on the near side of the lava lake.

A telephoto image of the small lava flow from the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Occasional incandescence was visible (center) from the weakly active flow on the northwestern lava lake levee. A portion of the active lava lake is visible in the lower-right.

 A telephoto image of the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, the northern-most vent of the fissure was producing occasional weak bursts of spatter (center).

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. Active surface lava remains limited to the western portion of the lake, shown here as seen from the south rim of the crater and looking towards the northwest. The western fissure cone is in the center of the photo.

This photo shows a view of the western fissure, feeding the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet zone, where lava is entering the lake, is visible at the bottom of the photo. Near the center of the photo, an area of lava driblets can be seen running down the flank of the western fissure's cone. USGS photo by M. Patrick.