Images

Aerial view of fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 4, 2022. Lava fountaining at the vent has been approximately 100 feet (33 m) tall over the past day, depositing fragments of volcanic material in the area near the vent.  USGS image by L. DeSmither. 

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its seventh full day. One active fissure, fissure 3, is feeding a lava flow downslope to the north.

This telephoto image of spatter being thrown from the fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa was taken on the morning of December 4, 2022. Sustained fountain heights of 141 feet (43 meters) with bursts reaching over 232 feet in height (71 meters) were measured. USGS image by L. Gallant. 

Helicopter overflights on November 30, December 1, and December 2, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. These maps show evolution of the lava flow from fissure 3 over those days.

View of the Fissure 3 erupting high on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 3, 2022. The eruption is generating a volcanic gas plume that is lofting high and vertically into the atmosphere before being blown to the west at high altitude, generating vog in areas downwind.

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its sixth full day. One active fissure, fissure 3, is feeding a lava flow downslope to the north.

An HVO scientist installs a webcamera to monitor the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. The livestream is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnjGqn1K9ZQ. USGS image by M. Patrick. 

This map shows areas of surface change as determined through a comparison of satellite radar images acquired on November 16, 2022 and December 2 at 6:13 a.m. HST.

A geologist documents fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. In the field, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists measure the lava fountain and cone heights, channel widths, and lava channel dynamics. USGS image by J. Schmith. 

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas specialist uses a FTIR spectrometer on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. The FTIR measures the composition of the gases being emitted during the eruption by measuring how the plume absorbs infrared energy.

Image of a webcam deployed to monitor the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. See this webcam for all Mauna Loa webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/webcams. USGS image by K. Mulliken. 

Taken from the intersection of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway and the old saddle road, this telephoto photo shows the main flow front of fissure 3 from Mauna Loa’s Northeast Rift Zone eruption. A plume of volcanic gas rises high above the erupting vent and is being wafted in a west direction. USGS photo by H. Dietterich.

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its fifth full day. Fissure 3 is generating lava flows primarily to the north; fissure 4 continues to be active, but with very little eruptive activity observed this morning.

Spatter bomb from fissure 3 of  Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone eruption. The bomb was molten and plastic when it fell to the ground. As it flew through the air, the molten lava stretched and started to break apart as it was cooling. As this bomb came to rest on the round it continued to cool and solidify with these stretched morphologies. USGS image by D.

Taken from the intersection of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway and the old saddle road, USGS scientists take laser rangefinder measurements of the main flow front of fissure 3 from Mauna Loa’s Northeast Rift Zone eruption to determine where it is relative to the highway. USGs photo by J. Ball.

The 2022 Mauna Loa lava flow crossed the road leading to the Mauna Loa Observatory within the first 24 hours of the start of the eruption. On December 2, USGS monitoring field crews visited the eastern margin where the lava flow covered the road. The plume from fissure 3 is visible in the background. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

On the morning of December 2, 2022, Mauna Loa's ongoing Northeast Rift Zone eruption was primarily active from fissure 3. The cone walls around the fissure are approximately 48 m (157 ft) tall at their highest point, shown in this view looking to the south up at the fissure. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Mauna Loa’s Fissure 3 gas plume as seen from the Saddle Road on December 2, 2022. Winds were from the northeast at the time the photo was taken, and spread the plume over much of the island to the south and west of Mauna Loa summit. USGS photo by P. Nadeau.  

View of the Fissure 3 lava fountains that are throwing molten material up to 82-98 ft (25-30 m) into the air high on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. Over the past few days the molten bombs thrown into the air cool and have built up a cone around the lava fountains. USGS image by D. Downs.

A helicopter overflight on December 2, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. This map only shows activity from Fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone, which is feeding a lava flow to the north.

This radar interferogram spans before the eruption (November 16, 2022) until December 2 at 6:13 a.m. HST.