Images

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicists are performing the annual GPS survey of Mauna Loa. Most Mauna Loa GPS campaign survey sites have been occupied every year since 1996, whereas less active volcanoes Hualālai and Haleakalā are surveyed every 3–5 years. USGS image by A. Ellis.

Another GPS survey benchmark being occupied on Mauna Loa. The metal disk on the ground beneath the tripod is the benchmark, which is cemented to the lava flow surface.

During the annual Mauna Loa GPS campaign, scientists temporarily deploy a number of GPS instruments at established benchmarks; their recorded positions can be compared with those from previous years to discern subtle patterns of ground deformation associated with volcanic activity.

The Vibroseis vehicle has been operating on roads in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and in the Kīlauea summit region for the past several weeks. The vehicle belongs to the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental facility at the University of Texas at Austin, which is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation.

This aerial view, looking east across Halema‘uma‘u crater floor, shows the complex features formed during recent Kīlauea summit eruptions.

HVO scientists observed no changes to Kīlauea summit during a routine monitoring overflight the morning of May 23, 2023. Mauna Loa is visible in the background of the image. USGS image by K. Mulliken.

Another aerial view of the Vibroseis truck near Maunaulu in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The truck is generating seismic signals that will help to provide a new detailed view of shallow subsurface structures and the magma system beneath Kīlauea volcano’s summit.

Wendy Stovall photographed at a monitoring station in the Prince William Sound, Alaska. 

This photo shows a spiked seismic node, and the tools used to deploy it, in the Hilina Pali area on May 6. USGS scientists use a compass to orient the node so it faces north, while using a level bubble to keep the instrument level when it is spiked into the ground.

USGS scientists deploy a bucket, containing a seismic node, which was set on a hard lava flow surface. There are now about 1,800 seismic nodes deployed around the Kīlauea summit region to record seismic signals for the next three weeks.

A USGS scientist hikes across lava flows in the Hilina Pali area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project is operating under a research permit from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and prior to deploying the nodes, USGS scientists were trained on endangered plants and archaeological features within the park.

Eruptions within Halema‘uma‘u over the past several years have filled the deepest part of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) that collapsed in 2018, which was Halema‘uma‘u crater. However, only about 21 percent of the volume of the 2018 collapse has been filled by these eruptions—about one fifth of the volume of the 2018 collapse.

Kīlauea Iki and Pu‘upua‘i are visible in this aerial image taken during the May 3, 2023, Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight. Pu‘upua‘i is the cinder cone, which was built up by spectacular lava fountaining during the 1959 eruption in Kīlauea Iki crater.

A helicopter overflight on May 3, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No active lava was present in the crater, with only scattered warm spots on the crater floor.

Two USGS scientists are seen here installing a seismic node. This node is one of over 1,800 that are currently being deployed for a survey designed to image structures beneath Kīlauea's summit. After the seismic nodes, which will blend into the natural landscape, are deployed, a large vehicle will slowly traverse roads near Kīlauea’s summit in May.

This week, USGS Volcano Science Center scientists from other locations are helping the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory to deploy the 1,800 seismic nodes (small earthquake-detecting devices) across Kīlauea summit region.

This view of Halema‘uma‘u was captured from partway up the northwestern wall of the crater by an HVO geologist visiting the area on Wednesday, May 3, to collect geologic samples. The basin of the lava lake from the end of the most recent eruption is defined by the steaming area in the upper center of the frame. USGS image by M. Zoeller.  

HVO scientists conducted a routine Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight during the morning of May 3, 2023. During the overflight, the helicopter flies around Halema‘uma‘u several times, and scientists take both regular pictures and infrared images that tell us about the temperatures on the crater floor. These images are used to create maps of the crater.

During a morning overflight on May 3, 2023, HVO scientists did not observe any activity within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The most recent eruptive activity was observed on March 7.

On Wednesday May 3, HVO geologists visited the northwestern wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater to sample older ash beds and lava flows exposed by the caldera collapse in 2018. Here, one of the geologists is collecting ash samples while standing on a large pile of rockfall debris that mantles the crater wall. USGS image by M. Zoeller. 

A helicopter overflight on May 3, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No active lava was present in the crater, with only scattered warm spots on the crater floor.