Videos

USGS scientists conducted a test of the Vibroseis vehicle in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park at the summit of Kīlauea on May 8, 2023. Over the next month, the truck will be operating on roads in Kīlauea summit region.

HVO scientists conducted a routine overflight of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No eruptive activity was observed. This video shows a wide view of Halema‘uma‘u crater followed by two closer views of the crater.

May is traditionally the start of the field season and plans are underway to strengthen monitoring networks, collect data, and conduct research to better understand volcanic activity in the Yellowstone region. Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, outlines upcoming projects in this YVO monthly video update for May 1, 2023.

Do animals prank humans? It sometimes feels that way, says Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s scientist-in-charge Mike Poland. Mike shows some of the ways animals have “interacted” with monitoring equipment in this April 1, 2023 monthly update of activity at Yellowstone Volcano.

Could an external event trigger a Yellowstone eruption? No, says Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s scientist-in-charge Mike Poland, that’s not how volcanoes work. Most of the pressure that drives a volcano toward eruption comes from within, from the exsolution of gases in the magmatic system.

Lava lake activity within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues. On February 14, low fountaining was present at the central vent, which was supplying lava into a channel that flowed towards the large eastern lake. 

Winter has arrived in the Yellowstone region. The deep snow and cold temperatures are harsh for animals, harsh for humans, and also harsh for volcano monitoring equipment.

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, on January 20, 2023. This time-lapse sequence shows an hour and a half of activity in the eastern lake. Lava upwells at the fountain source and spreads out towards the lake margin, where it downwells. Overall, activity in the crater has been steady in recent days. 

The eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues with steady lava lake activity. The largest lake is in the eastern portion of the crater, and is supplied by a single fountain. A smaller lake is also active in the western portion of the crater, along with two other much smaller lakes. 

This video, captured by the remote B1cam, shows lava erupting from multiple minor fountains (shown as a line of bright spots in the upper left of the video) and the cooling surface of the lava forming crustal plates that move toward the camera’s location.

An early morning overflight video from January 6, 2023, shows several areas of low lava fountaining in Kīlauea's Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The island that formed during the opening phase of the 2020 eruption still exists and has not yet been overtopped by lava from the reawakened activity.

Kīlauea volcano began erupting in Halema‘uma‘u crater around 4:34 pm HST on January 5, 2023, as captured in this KWcam video. Within hours, multiple dome fountains were active in the central-eastern portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater’s floor. There were several large bursts of lava from the newly opened vent.

During the early morning hours of January 5, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists were closely monitoring an increase in earthquake activity and changes in the patterns of ground deformation at Kīlauea’s summit, indicating movement of magma in the subsurface.

This video, captured by the KWcam, shows a large burst of lava from the newly opened vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater, Kīlauea volcano at approximately 4:49 pm HST on January 5, 2023. This burst reached up to 50 meters (164 feet) high and sent a wave of lava across the crater floor.

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, provides an overview of 2022 events and December activity in this monthly update for January 1, 2023. 

During a morning overflight on December 9, 2022, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists noted a reduced output of lava at fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. The lava fountain is much lower than yesterday and the lava in the channel is much lower than the levees. USGS video by M. Patrick. 

Aerial view of the upper lava channel from fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. On December 9, 2022, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists noted a reduced output of lava at fissure 3 and this photo shows that the level of lava in the channel is the lowest it has been since the eruption started. USGS video by M. Patrick. 

Aerial view of fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa on December 9, 2022. The eruption continues but the vigor has greatly reduced over the past 24 hours. USGS video by M. Patrick. 

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa continues with a major change overnight. The fissure 3 (F3) vent continues to erupt but the supply of lava appears to be much reduced this morning. Lava is overtopping channels near the vent with flows extending no farther than 2.5 mi (4 km) from the vent.

An overflight the morning of December 7, 2022, provided this aerial view of fissure 3 erupting at an elevation of 10,500 feet (meters) above sea level on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. The fissure is feeding a lava channel; near the vent, the lava flow speed has been measured at 32-39 feet per second (10-12 meters per second). USGS video by M.

A lava boat traverses down the fissure 3 lava channel during the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa on December 7, 2022. Lava boats or lava balls form when portions of the fissure cone or lava channel levees break away and are rafted down the lava stream.