Images

Heavy rains at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawaii) cleared on the afternoon of Friday, February 26, 2021, to show the steaming surface of the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u viewed from the west.

 A telephoto image of the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, the northern-most vent of the fissure was producing occasional weak bursts of spatter (center).

A telephoto image of the small lava flow from the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Occasional incandescence was visible (center) from the weakly active flow on the northwestern lava lake levee. A portion of the active lava lake is visible in the lower-right.

On Wednesday, February 24, HVO scientists observed the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u from the west rim of the crater. In this photo, the active western fissure is marked by an incandescent skylight on the near side of the lava lake.

In the morning of Tuesday, February 23, a new source of spatter appeared on flank of the active western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. It started to feed a short lava flow down the spatter cone and onto the crusted northwest margin of the lava lake.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. Active surface lava remains limited to the western portion of the lake, shown here as seen from the south rim of the crater and looking towards the northwest. The western fissure cone is in the center of the photo.

This photo shows a view of the western fissure, feeding the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet zone, where lava is entering the lake, is visible at the bottom of the photo. Near the center of the photo, an area of lava driblets can be seen running down the flank of the western fissure's cone. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This photo shows the main island, just west of the lake center, in Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea. The recent drop in lake level, associated with ongoing summit deflation, is shown by the raised edge around much of the perimeter of the island. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. Active surface lava remains limited to the western portion of the lake, shown here. Ongoing summit deflation has been associated with a slight drop in the lake level, now a few meters below the rim of the levee.

An HVO geologist uses a sketch in their fieldbook to note the location of laser rangefinder measurements of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea.

A pot of lava at the end of the rainbow? A rainbow formed over Halema‘uma‘u crater following an afternoon rain shower on February 22. Rainbows are often observed over Halema‘uma‘u, as mist and rain move across the caldera. This photo was taken from within an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for safety reasons.

HVO geologists use a laser rangefinder to measure the distance to the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake, and other eruptive features, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. These lava lake measurements are used to help calculate the depth, volume, and how it has evolved throughout the eruption. The stagnant eastern portion of the lava lake is visible in the lower-left.

Lava continues to erupt from the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. On Wednesday morning, February 17, small pieces of spatter were occasionally ejected from the vent, landing on the slope below. This type of activity has decreased significantly over the past several weeks.

This photo shows a close-up of the inlet along the western margin of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. Lava originating at the small upwelling zone rapidly develops a thin flexible crust as it moves away from the source. A small island also has been present just south of the inlet. USGS photo taken by M.

Active surface lava has been limited to the western portion of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo shows a large portion of this western zone. The surface is composed of a patchwork of small, angular crustal plates separated by darker spreading zones. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on February 17, 2021.

The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. The active lava was retained by a levee several meters (yards) high along the west margin. The levee is formed from numerous small rafted crustal plates that have stacked upon one another, and likely fused together. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on February 17, 2021.

This photo of the erupting western fissure in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea was captured during a helicopter overflight on the morning of Tuesday, February 16. The degassing cone was not visibly spattering during the overflight, but the lava inlet near the base of the cone is evidence of continued effusion into the lava lake. USGS photo taken by M.

On Friday, February 12, HVO scientists hiked along the rim of Halema‘uma‘u to capture photos of the lava lake from different vantage points. In this photo from the northwest rim, the active western fissure is tucked into the lower-right corner of the crater.

A telephoto image of the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit. Lava is being supplied to the active western lava lake through the inlet at the base of the vent (lower-center). This photo was taken from the southern rim of Halema‘uma‘u, within an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for safety reasons.

This photo shows the southwest region of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kīlauea summit. Foundering of the active lava lake surface crust—a common process where liquid lava overrides and submerges crust—was observed by HVO scientists on February 12.

This telephoto image of the western vent was taken from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit. An incandescent opening near the top of the cone (center) was producing rare spatter on February 12. The inlet into the lava lake is visible in the upper-center. SO₂ emission rates remain elevated. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither.