Images

A telephoto view of the west vent along the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. On November 9, spatter bursts in the west vent cone triggered sloshing on the surface of the ponded lava. Spatter was thrown about 6–9 m (20–30 ft) above the pond surface and occasionally deposited onto the rim of the cone.

HVO geologists conducted a helicopter overflight of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, on the morning of November 9. A gas plume can be seen rising from the west vent along the crater wall (center left). Mauna Loa is visible in the background. USGS photo by B. Carr.

A telephoto view of the west vent along the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. On November 9, spatter bursts in the west vent cone triggered sloshing on the surface of the ponded lava. Spatter was thrown about 6–9 m (20–30 ft) above the pond surface and occasionally deposited onto the rim of the cone. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

A telephoto view of the western lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Around 10:00 a.m. on November 9, geologists in the field witnessed lava from the western part of the active lava lake (right) flowing onto an area of cooled solidified crust (left).

On the morning of November 9, a wispy volcanic gas plume (lower left) was visible over Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit. As the hot plume rose to meet the cool morning air, water vapor formed a cloud above the crater. USGS photo by J. Schmith.

A helicopter overflight on November 9, 2021, at approximately 8:30 a.m. HST allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.

A helicopter overflight on November 9, 2021, at approximately 8:30 a.m. HST allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.

The extent of the active lava lake surface (lower right) within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, had decreased substantially over the previous day and (at the time of this photo) was limited to the area around the west vent. This photo was taken at 5:48 p.m. HST on November 8, 2021, from the western rim of the crater. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Despite the temporary decrease in activity at Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, spattering was still visible within the west vent cone. This telephoto image was taken from the western rim of the crater during a lower level of eruptive activity on November 8, 2021. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

A telephoto image of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Ponded lava within the spatter cone supplies lava into the lava lake through the tubed-over spillway. The fast-moving lava stream is incandescent as it enters into the lava lake at the base of the cone.

The vent in the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u continues to erupt at the summit of Kīlauea. Volcanic gas emissions, primarily from the west vent (right), remain elevated. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rates were measured at around 3,600 tonnes per day on October 28, 2021. USGS photo taken on November 3, 2021, by L. DeSmither.

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on November 4, 2021. One eruptive vent is active within Halema‘uma‘u at this time, along the western edge of the rising lava lake.

A telephoto image of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, taken from the northwest rim on November 3. Low roiling lava continues to erupt from the west vent, with occasional larger bursts of spatter. The spatter cone that has built up since the eruption began on September 29, contains ponded lava that supplies the lava lake through the tubed-over spillway.

A photo of the west vent and active western portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. The eastern side of the lava lake (out of view to the right), has a stagnant solidified crust on the surface. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on November 3, 2021.

The extent of the active surface of the lava lake (orange) within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, is clearly delineated as the sun sets on November 2, 2021. Photo taken at 5:56 p.m. HST from the west rim. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Comparison of (a) 1904 Historical map with (b) 1988 USGS map. Colloidal Pool is a large, labeled pool roughly located on a straight line between Hurricane vent and Whirligig Geyser on the 1988 map (b); this same transect on the 1904 map (a) shows no feature at that location (white circle).

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the Colloidal Pool colloids (images are a combination of backscatter and secondary electrons). The colloids are a mixture of clay particles, hydrated silica, alunite, and diatoms.

Images of olivine from Hawaiian volcanoes. In olivine the abundance of magnesium (Mg) is expressed as the forsterite content (Fo)—which is a ratio of how much Mg there is compared to the iron (Fe). Left: Green olivine from Mauna Loa’s 1852 eruption, viewed under a microscope. USGS&nbsp

A telephoto image of the northeast margin of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit, on November 1, 2021. The lava lake has now risen high enough to start covering the lowest portion of the down-dropped block on the north side of Halema‘uma‘u.

A sequence of telephoto images of the west vent (spanning 4 seconds), within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea summit. The west vent continues to produce low-level lava fountains (seen here), which are forming an elevated pond of lava within the spatter cone.

A branching root cast from grasses that grew on the ashy lahars deposited along the ancestral Missouri River system. Plant roots growing in calcareous soils made holes that were filled with calcite after the organics rotted away.  Photo by Rob Thomas, August 2021.