Videos

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, remains active. This video shows spattering from a small vent at the western fissure. 
 

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a routine helicopter overflight of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Active surface lava remains limited to a small area in the western portion of the lake, with the eastern portion solidified at the surface.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the east rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater to make observations of Kīlauea's summit lava lake and survey the eastern portion of the crater. This video compilation shows different aspects of the lake activity in the western portion of the crater. 

This video shows the inlet along the western margin of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The lava stream was moving slowly but steadily, and was emerging beneath a portion of crust attached to the lake margin. The video is shown at 10x speed.
 

KPcam webcam on the flank of Mauna Loa looks south towards the summit of Kīlauea to monitor the gas plume from the active lava lake. This time-lapse video shows a typical day for the summit plume. Clear views in the night and morning show the low, ground-hugging plume carried to the southwest by the tradewinds.

The good news is that volcanoes usually change behavior before they erupt, in ways that are detectable by monitoring instruments.

There are thousands of volcanic features distributed throughout the southwest United States, which are grouped together in volcanic fields. The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monitors these volcanoes using a combination of techniques.

The lava lake remains active in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This video shows the inlet where lava from the western fissure is supplied to the lake. The motion of the lava stream is sluggish, and this video is shown at 20x speed.
 

Throughout most of human existence, we haven't known much about how volcanoes work. Because of their immense power, they have terrified and fascinated us, and remain places of great spiritual importance for many people. The lack of knowledge about volcanoes has sometimes resulted in tragic and deadly disasters.

The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) is a team of USGS scientists funded by USAID and the USGS Volcano Hazards Program to help volcano observatories around the world.

This thermal video shows the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava is supplied from the western fissure, in the upper left portion of the video. Small vent openings atop the western fissure exhibit rhythmic gas puffing. The video is shown at 5x speed. 
 

This time-lapse sequence shows the growth of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The sequence starts on December 28, about a week after the start of the eruption and ends on March 10, 2021. The lake rises rapidly at first but then eventually slows down as the eruption rate gradually declines.

A routine helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's East Rift Zone allowed Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists to conduct an updated visual and thermal survey. This video is shown at 5x speed, and moves from west to east. At the western end of the region affected during the 2018 eruption, steaming remains in residential areas west of Highway 130.

Visual photographs taken during helicopter overflights of Halema‘uma‘u Crater are used to create 3D models of the crater. This technique is called structure-from-motion photogrammetry and uses the multiple perspectives captured in dozens of photos to reconstruct the crater shape.

A routine helicopter overflight of Kīlauea's East Rift Zone allowed Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists to conduct an updated visual and thermal survey. This video is shown at 2x speed and circles Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, the vent region for the East Rift Zone eruption between 1983 and 2018. No major changes were observed in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

A routine helicopter overflight of the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea on March 4, 2021, allowed HVO geologists to conduct an updated visual and thermal survey. This video is shown at 5x speed and follows the new coastline created during the 2018 eruption in the Kapoho area.

This video clip shows the inlet zone where lava enters the lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. 
 

Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, debunks the misconception that if Yellowstone were to erupt, it would be Armageddon. In fact, the most common form of eruptive activity at Yellowstone is a lava flow, and even those aren't that common. They happen only once every few tens of thousands of years.

This video shows a close-up of the small inlet where lava enters the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet consists of a small upwelling zone, with lava rapidly developing a thin flexible crust as it moves away from the source.

On February 11, 2021, no major changes were observed at the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The inlet site where lava is entering the lake had a small upwelling zone raised slightly above the surrounding lake surface. 

An overflight today provided aerial views of Kīlauea's ongoing summit eruption. No major changes were observed at the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater. Active surface lava is still largely limited to the western portion of the lake. Snow on Mauna Kea can be seen in the distance.