Images

Lava flow moving down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of the Royal Gardens subdivision. Areas of the forest go up in flames as the 'a'ā flow pushes its way through the vegetation at the base of the pali, and flows onto the coastal plain.

Lava flow moving down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of the Royal Gardens subdivision. Six channelized flows meander down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of Royal Gardens subdivision.

Lava flow moving down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of the Royal Gardens subdivision. Six channelized flows meander down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of Royal Gardens subdivision.

Lava flow moving down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of the Royal Gardens subdivision. As the slope decreases, the 'a'ā flows fan out onto the coastal plain.

Lava flow moving down a steep portion of the pali, burning vegetation in the remaining portion of the Royal Gardens subdivision. Areas of the forest go up in flames as the 'a'ā flow pushes its way through the vegetation at the base of the pali, and flows onto the coastal plain.

Graduate student Allison Payne (USGS ARRA student appointment) uses a binocular microscope to pick out minerals that contain tiny melt inclusions from 2009 Redoubt tephra samples. Melt inclusions are then analyzed with a SHRIMP - Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe - for their volatile (H2O and CO2) content.

This two-image mosaic is one of the highest resolution views acquired by the Cassini spacecraft during its imaging survey of the geyser basin capping the southern hemisphere of Saturn's moon Enceladus. 

Undergraduate student Janelle Dyer (USGS ARRA student appointment) performs an ash leachate test on Redoubt ash in the Alaska Tephra Laboratory and Data Center in Anchorage, Alaska. This test is done to analyze the geochemical reaction between volcanic ash and drinking water sources during eruptions.

Fume from the erupting vent in Halema`uma`u blankets the summit of Kīlauea in thick vog.

The terminus of the eastern branch of the one active flow above the pali. Pu`u `Ō `ō is at the top in the center with the TEB vent to the right.

Close-up of the front of the channelized 'a'ā flow on the western side of the TEB flow.

The terminus of the more vigorous western branch of the active flow on the western side of the TEB flow field near the top of the Royal Gardens subdivision.

Kīlauea's east rift zone eruption site. Pu`u `Ō `ō is to the right, and the TEB vent and upper tube system is to the left and behind Pu`u `Ō `ō.

Much of the time the lava level was much lower, forming rapidly moving river of lava that cascaded into a deeper hole on the north side of the pit floor.

This ponded lava begins to drain away, forming a vortex on the lava surface. The curved streaks around the spattering point at the bottom of the image show where lava is beginning to move in a clockwise direction.

With further draining, deep opening are exposed on the eastern side of the pit floor and the lava river pouring off into a deep hole on the north side of the pit.

A well developed lava whirpool migrating toward the north.

A vigorous spattering of the lava surface.

A vigorous spattering of the lava surface.

The ponded surface covered most of the bottom the collapse pit in the floor of Halema`uma`u, and was probably more than 100 m across.

A vigorous spattering of the lava surface.