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Volcano Hazard Program images.

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Color photograph of volcanic vent spattering and lava lake
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 3, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 3, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 3, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. HST

At Halema‘uma‘u, the west vents (visible in the foreground of this photo as two glowing holes on a cone-shaped feature) erupt occaisional spatter.

Color photograph of volcanic vent spattering
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 3, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 3, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 3, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. HST

Early this morning, the west vents in Halema‘uma‘u spattered from two places at the top of a small cone plastered on the northwest wall. This process can be seen in Kīlauea Volcano's summit F1 thermal webcam view of the lava lake.

Early this morning, the west vents in Halema‘uma‘u spattered from two places at the top of a small cone plastered on the northwest wall. This process can be seen in Kīlauea Volcano's summit F1 thermal webcam view of the lava lake.

Color photograph of lava lake and volcanic vent
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 2, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 2, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 2, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. HST

Telephoto photograph of the west vent area and lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Steamboat Geyser eruption signals
Steamboat Geyser eruption signals
Steamboat Geyser eruption signals
Steamboat Geyser eruption signals

Steamboat Geyser eruption signals recorded by nearby monitoring instruments. The vertical pink lines mark when the signal first appears. (A) Seismic station YNM records a signal which slowly tapers as the eruption decreases in intensity. Spikes seen before the eruption are mostly due to human activity.

Steamboat Geyser eruption signals recorded by nearby monitoring instruments. The vertical pink lines mark when the signal first appears. (A) Seismic station YNM records a signal which slowly tapers as the eruption decreases in intensity. Spikes seen before the eruption are mostly due to human activity.

Color photograph of lava lake and volcanic vent
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 2, 2021, at 7 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 2, 2021, at 7 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 2, 2021, at 7 a.m. HST

View of the west vent area and lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser over time
Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser over time
Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser over time
Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser over time

Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser over time.  (A) Cumulative eruptions of Steamboat Geyser since 1960. Each dot represents an eruption. (B) Comparative plot of the cumulative eruptions in each active phase (1960s, 1980s, and 2018-). Data from GeyserTimes.

Eruptions of Steamboat Geyser over time.  (A) Cumulative eruptions of Steamboat Geyser since 1960. Each dot represents an eruption. (B) Comparative plot of the cumulative eruptions in each active phase (1960s, 1980s, and 2018-). Data from GeyserTimes.

Color photograph of lava lake surface
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021. The channel-like feature remains visible on the lava lake surface within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. This feature originates from the influx of lava from the western fissure. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021. The channel-like feature remains visible on the lava lake surface within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at Kīlauea Volcano's summit. This feature originates from the influx of lava from the western fissure. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Color photograph of volcanic vent
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

Another telephoto view of the west vent area in Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano. The west vents are in the northwestern wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater; intermittent spattering at the vents has constructed a perched pointed cone on the crater wall. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Another telephoto view of the west vent area in Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano. The west vents are in the northwestern wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater; intermittent spattering at the vents has constructed a perched pointed cone on the crater wall. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Color photograph of scientist installing instrument in field
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021

Within an hour of the Kīlauea summit eruption starting on December 20, 2020, HVO's permanent seismic network detected a signal called volcanic tremor.

Color photograph of lava lake
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 1, 2021 at 6:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 1, 2021 at 6:30 a.m. HST
Kīlauea summit eruption - Jan. 1, 2021 at 6:30 a.m. HST

The KW webcam captured this image of Kīlauea's ongoing summit eruption, which continued overnight. The KW webcam looks in an east direction; north is to the left in the photo, south to the right, west to the bottom, and east to the top. This photo, taken at 6:30 a.m.

The KW webcam captured this image of Kīlauea's ongoing summit eruption, which continued overnight. The KW webcam looks in an east direction; north is to the left in the photo, south to the right, west to the bottom, and east to the top. This photo, taken at 6:30 a.m.

Color photograph of lava lake margin
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

The margins of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u are showing a subtle levee around the perimeter. The levees grow from repeated small overflows, and the rafting and piling of pieces of surface crust that fuse together into a barrier that impounds the lake.

The margins of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u are showing a subtle levee around the perimeter. The levees grow from repeated small overflows, and the rafting and piling of pieces of surface crust that fuse together into a barrier that impounds the lake.

Color photograph of volcanic vent
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

Telephoto view of the west vent area in Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano. The west vents are in the northwestern wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater; intermittent spattering at the vents has constructed a perched pointed cone on the crater wall. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Telephoto view of the west vent area in Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano. The west vents are in the northwestern wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater; intermittent spattering at the vents has constructed a perched pointed cone on the crater wall. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Color photograph of lava lake
Halema‘uma‘u lava lake beginning to perch
Halema‘uma‘u lava lake beginning to perch
Halema‘uma‘u lava lake beginning to perch

Over the past week, the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u has developed a subtle levee around its perimeter that allows the lake to be slightly perched above its base, like a mesa. The levees grow from repeated small overflows, and the rafting and piling of pieces of surface crust that fuse together into a barrier that impounds the fluid lake.

Over the past week, the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u has developed a subtle levee around its perimeter that allows the lake to be slightly perched above its base, like a mesa. The levees grow from repeated small overflows, and the rafting and piling of pieces of surface crust that fuse together into a barrier that impounds the fluid lake.

Color photograph of lava lake crust
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

Kīlauea's summit lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu is continually re-surfacing. Like the 2008-2018 lava lake, the current lava lake is exhibiting crustal foundering, when fragments of solidified lava crust on the surface break and sink back into the liquid portion.  USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Kīlauea's summit lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu is continually re-surfacing. Like the 2008-2018 lava lake, the current lava lake is exhibiting crustal foundering, when fragments of solidified lava crust on the surface break and sink back into the liquid portion.  USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Black and white point cloud
A composite of the point clouds resulting from HVO’s terrestrial laser scanning surveys of Halemaʻumaʻu
A composite of the point clouds resulting from HVO’s terrestrial laser scanning surveys of Halemaʻumaʻu
A composite of the point clouds resulting from HVO’s terrestrial laser scanning surveys of Halemaʻumaʻu

Main frame: A composite of the point clouds resulting from HVO’s terrestrial laser scanning surveys of Halemaʻumaʻu crater since January 2021, viewed from the southwest. The central region of the crater, including the lava lake, is reliably captured in all surveys.

Color photograph of road damaged by earthquakes
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021

On January 1, 2021, with permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, HVO researchers set up temporary seismic instruments around Halema‘uma‘u crater to collect data that will help them learn more about how magma travels in the shallow magmatic plumbing system beneath Kīlauea Volcano.

On January 1, 2021, with permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, HVO researchers set up temporary seismic instruments around Halema‘uma‘u crater to collect data that will help them learn more about how magma travels in the shallow magmatic plumbing system beneath Kīlauea Volcano.

Color photograph of scientist deploying instrument in field
Scientists deploy instruments at Kīlauea summit - 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy instruments at Kīlauea summit - 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy instruments at Kīlauea summit - 1/1/2021

HVO field crews deployed a dense network of temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea’s summit on January 1, 2021, and with permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

HVO field crews deployed a dense network of temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea’s summit on January 1, 2021, and with permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Map of seismicity in the Yellowstone region during 2020
Map of seismicity in the Yellowstone region during 2020
Map of seismicity in the Yellowstone region during 2020
Map of seismicity in the Yellowstone region during 2020

Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2020. Gray lines are roads, red line shows the caldera boundary, Yellowstone National Park is outlined by black dashed line, and gray dashed lines denote state boundaries.

Map of seismicity (red circles) in the Yellowstone region during 2020. Gray lines are roads, red line shows the caldera boundary, Yellowstone National Park is outlined by black dashed line, and gray dashed lines denote state boundaries.

Color photograph of lava lake crust
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

Kīlauea's summit lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu continues to re-surface. This process is called crustal foundering, in which pieces of solidified lava crust on the surface of the lava lake break and sink back into the liquid portion. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Kīlauea's summit lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu continues to re-surface. This process is called crustal foundering, in which pieces of solidified lava crust on the surface of the lava lake break and sink back into the liquid portion. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Color photograph of lava lake
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021
Kīlauea eruption in Halema‘uma‘u on Jan. 1, 2021

The western portion of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano summit. The island has migrated closer to the west vent area, which remains active. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

The western portion of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea Volcano summit. The island has migrated closer to the west vent area, which remains active. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Color photograph of scientist installing instrument in field
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021
Scientists deploy temporary seismic instruments at Kīlauea on 1/1/2021

With the onset of the eruption at Kīlauea summit on December 20, 2020, the HVO monitoring network has been recording volcanic tremor, a signal that travels through the subsurface as magma degasses and erupts from vents to fill a lava lake at the summit.

With the onset of the eruption at Kīlauea summit on December 20, 2020, the HVO monitoring network has been recording volcanic tremor, a signal that travels through the subsurface as magma degasses and erupts from vents to fill a lava lake at the summit.

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