Images

Examining a fresh sample of Pele's hair from the lava lake within the Halema‘uma‘u Overlook vent.

An HVO geologist returns from checking on spatter collection trays on the rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. In the upper right, the active lava pond in the crater is tossing a small amount of spatter into the air. The photo above this one shows a bird's-eye view of the lava pond and this area.

About one month ago, lava spilled westward through this roadcut along Paradise Street in Royal Gardens subdivision, hitting a long-abandoned vehicle and just touching the margin of flows from an earlier episode of the current eruption (lower right).

Flows continued to be active over a broad area on the coastal plain today. This composite image combines a normal photograph and a thermal image to show the areas of active breakouts. Yellow areas are active flows while red areas are inactive, but still warm, flows. The flow front in the lower right was 1.6 km (1 mile) from the ocean today.

One of the last remaining portions of Royal Gardens subdivision, showing the overgrown remnants of Prince Avenue and Orchid Street. Flows were active on the east (right) side of this kipuka about one month ago, and flows were active today at the northern tip (upper left).

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.

View, looking northwest, of the active flows (lighter colored areas) on the coastal plain and in Royal Gardens subdivision. The lava tube supplying lava through Royal Gardens can be identified by the line of fume sources on the pali.

Looking downslope, numerous fume sources provide a clear trace of the path of the lava tube supplying lava to breakouts on the coastal plain.

View of the eastern portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. A collapse pit has hosted an active, roiling and spattering lava pond for the past several weeks. In the lower left, two small spatter collection trays can be seen on the crater rim.

Close up of pahoehoe ropes from the tumulus breakout.

Tilt measured at the summit of Kīlauea during March 1-7, 2012, shows a series of U- and V-shaped DI events, with deflation indicated by downward tilt and inflation by upward tilt. Images from a thermal camera that overlooks the summit eruptive vent demonstrate how the lava level (noted by white dashed line), depicted by warmer colors, charges across tilt cycles.

The western branch of the coastal plain flow field is inflated and more active than the eastern branch. Here, a breakout from a tumulus feeds a ropey pahoehoe flow. The fume in the background on the pali marks the lava flow activity that is feeding the coastal breakouts.

Thomas A. Jaggar founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in 1912 and served as its Director until 1940. Shown here in 1925, Jaggar is at work in HVO's first building, which, at the time, was located on the northeast rim of Kīlauea Volcano's summit caldera, near the present-day Volcano House hotel.

Halema‘uma‘u plume, just minutes after it turns from bright white to reddish-brown. Notice the contrast from bright white in the sky to reddish-brown near the vent.

With stagnant winds present, Halema‘uma‘u plume stands straight up, showing off the distant, but bright, full moon.

Halema‘uma‘u plume captures the sun in the early morning, creating a picturesque sight.

Ash-laden Halema‘uma‘u plume captures the rainbow in the early morning light. Photo taken from Steaming Bluffs.

Lava flows creep through the Royal Gardens subdivision on February 24, 2012, slowly burying the few remaining forested kipuka.

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.

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.

This panorama, taken from the eastern rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, shows the broken, jumbled crater floor. In the right portion of the photograph, near the northeast rim of the crater, a collapsed cone hosted a small roiling lava pond today.