Images

A closer look at the Halema‘uma‘u Crater overlook. The large boulders were ejected during the 1924 explosion, but today's explosive event carpeted the ground with many large pieces of brown spatter.

Gas in the lava lake was rapidly released during the 10:20 am explosive event, causing the lava lake surface to drop a few meters (yards). This photo was taken moments after the explosive event, and shows the overhanging ledge of lava along the rim that was exposed as the lava level dropped.

Early this morning, prior to the explosive event at 10:20 am, the lake was close to the floor of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, with spattering along the lake margin.

Spatter from the explosion also landed on the Halema‘uma‘u webcam, melting some of the wire insulation but not enough to interrupt its operation.

Rocks from the crater wall fell into the summit lava lake and generated an explosion that threw large fragments of molten lava onto the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, 85 m (280 ft) above the lake. Gas in the lava lake was rapidly released during the 10:20 am explosive event, causing the lava lake surface to drop a few meters (yards) after the explosion.

This photo shows another view of the lava lake, from a different perspective, when it was at its highest level.

Another view of spattering this morning.

This photo shows the lava lake in the Overlook crater this morning, when it reached to within 3 m (10 ft) of the floor of Halema‘uma‘u. This is the highest the lava lake has reached during the current summit eruption.

This is a view of spattering at the east corner of the lava lake this morning.

The lava lake within the Overlook crater in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea volcano, continues to rise. It was measured at 12 m (~39 ft) below the floor of Halema‘uma‘u at about 8 AM this morning, when this photo was taken.

This photo, taken at mid-day, shows the lava lake as seen from the west side of Halema‘uma‘u, which offers a different perspective. The lava lake was about 10 m (33 ft) below the floor of Halema‘uma‘u at this time.

This grainy evening photo shows the lake at 6:30 PM, when it was a mere 7 m (23 ft) below the Halema‘uma‘u Crater floor.

The level of the lava lake within the Overlook crater, set within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, continues to rise. Today, the level was as high as 14 meters (46 feet) below the Overlook crater rim.

Preview image for video: The lava lake in the Overlook Crater, within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, has been rising over the past few days. Today the lava was as high as 14 meters (46 feet) below the Overlook crater rim. Several areas of spattering were active along the lake margin.

This map shows recent changes to Kīlauea's active East Rift Zone lava flow field. The area of the flow on April 9 is shown in pink, while widening and advancement of the flow as of April 23 is shown in red. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō lava flows erupted prior to June 27, 2014, are shown in gray.

Breakouts on the June 27th lava flow remain active northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. A new, small, breakout appeared recently from the tube adjacent to Pu‘u Kahauale‘a, the small forested cone near the center of the photograph. The new breakout is the light-colored curved flow in the left portion of the photograph. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is in the upper right portion of the photo.

A small breakout from an inflated portion of the June 27th flow. Large gas bubbles reach the surface near the source of the breakout, and are then carried and deformed as the surface advances and cools.

Another view of the lava lake, with several areas of spattering active.

The farthest active breakout on the June 27th flow reached about 8 km (5 miles) northeast of the vent on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The tip of this breakout was narrow and burning forest. Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō is at the top of the photograph.

Over the past week small flows have filled the bottom of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Crater. These flows originated from vents in the south portion of the crater, and one of the flows can be seen near the center of the photograph.

The Overlook crater lava lake, within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at Kīlauea's summit, has been rising over the past few days, and today reached the highest point yet measured for the current summit eruption. The lava lake this afternoon was 20 meters (66 feet) below the Overlook crater rim.