Images

A close-up view of the leading edge of the active lobe of surface lava slowly moving south in the central part of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Eruptive activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The active surface lava remains largely confined to the western (left) portion of the lava lake. As of the afternoon of January 31 lava had filled about 212 m (695 ft) of Halemaʻumaʻu in the active western portion of the lava lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close-up view of the main island near the center of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u. All the islands have been stationary since approximately January 10. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

View of the active west vent from the south rim of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater on January 29, 2021. The west vent is almost completely crusted over and the effusion is slow from the base of the spatter cone. This photograph was taken from an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for safety reasons.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists collect tephra from the December 2020 deposit, found in the Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano on January 29, 2021.

This close-up view of the active western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit was captured through the lens of a laser ranging device used by HVO scientists to measure distances to features within the crater.

HVO scientists observed the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake from the southern crater rim in the late afternoon on Tuesday. In this view, the active western fissure at Kīlauea's summit is visible to the left. The circulating western portion (left) of the lava lake has a more silvery color than the stagnant eastern portion (right).

Example of some of the new layers available in the Geology of Yellowstone Map as of early 2021. Shown here are the locations of various monitoring instruments and water sample sites overlain on a thermal infrared satellite image. Lighter colors on the infrared image show more radiant (warmer) areas, whereas dark areas are less radiant (cooler).

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).

Seismic stations (white triangles) around Yellowstone Lake as seen on the online Geology of Yellowstone Map. Inset shows a seismogram for station YLA that can be accessed by clicking on the feature and following the “Seismogram” link in the popup box.

Cycles in Kīlauea's summit eruptive vigor were present on January 22 and 23, with the lava channel at Halema‘uma‘u's western fissure alternating between high and low flow rates over periods of 5-6 minutes. USGS photos by M. Patrick.

Activity at the west vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater on January 22 included frequent spattering from multiple locations and an open lava channel which drops 20 meters (65 feet) from its source to the lava lake surface.

Active lava reached as far as the central lake in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit, on the east side of the main island, where crustal foundering was occasionally happening. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Active lava was again limited to the western half of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. The western vent remained active with cycles of eruptive vigor in the open channel lasting 5-6 minutes. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Between overcast and rainy weather, HVO field crews took this photo at 3:34 p.m. HST on January 21, 2021, from the south side of Kīlauea's summit caldera. The photo shows Halema‘uma‘u's active west vent, which overflowed its tubed-over lower half at 2:51 p.m.

This photo, taken at just after 6 p.m. HST on January 19, shows that the western fissure continues to send lava into Halemʻaumaʻu crater through an open channel into the lava lake. The western side of the lava lake has an incandescent surface, while the eastern portion is more crusted over.

The western fissure at Kīlauea's summit continues to send lava into Halemʻaumaʻu crater through an open channel into the lava lake. Around sunset on the evening of January 19, field crews observed a minor collapse event of the spatter rampart on its northern rim and the channel margins at 5:46 p.m. HST.

On the evening of January 17, the vent on the north side of the western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit activated and seemed to become the dominant vent overnight. This vent is the one on the right in this photo. The vent on the left, which was the dominant vent over the past week, seemed less energetic today. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the vent area at the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit. The two main vents were exhibiting low fountaining while a small vent in the middle had sporadic, weak spattering. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the southwest portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, just south of the west fissure. The lava lake at Kīlauea's summit is perched, and is contained by a steep levee 2-3 meters (yards) high. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Sunlight interacts with volcanic gas from Kīlauea's summit lava lake and western fissure in this late afternoon view. The western fissure has built a spatter cone on the steep walls of Halema‘uma‘u, with lava spilling into the active lake, which forms the lower right portion of the photo.