USGS HVO Communications

Aerial video of Kīlauea summit eruption episode 16 lava fountain and its lava flow on April 1, 2025, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring overflight at approximately noon. The lava fountain was reaching heights of more than 650 ft (200 m) at times and feeding a lava flow that as of noon on April 1 reached about 2,300 ft (700 m) from its vent.

This timelapse video shows lava fountaining during episode 15 of the summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano. The sequence starts with small filling-draining cycles in the vent that abruptly shift into major fountaining. The inclination of the fountain changes repeatedly, depositing lava in varying directions around the vent.

Lava fountain activity during episode 15 of the Halema‘uma‘u eruption at the summit of Kīlauea. Fountain heights reached up to about 1,000 feet (305 meters) during episode 15. Vigorous lava fountaining feeds lava flows on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater.  

Videos of activity during Episode 15 of the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea volcano in Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The first clip was taken on March 25, 2025, when the north vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater periodically hosted low-level dome fountains during periods of cyclic lava effusion and drainback.

Lava fountaining in the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater from episode 14 of the Kīlauea summit eruption on March 20, 2025. The south fountain was dominant around midday, and supplied lava into a long, narrow channel that fed into a circular perched lava pond. 

This video shows images collected by a timelapse camera on the south rim of the summit caldera at Kīlauea, capturing the lava fountains during episodes 1-13 of the ongoing summit eruption. Images during the quiet intervals between fountaining episodes have been removed. The camera position was adjusted several times due to the rising height of the lava fountains.

This video is shown at 100x speed and captures several cycles of filling and draining in the lava pond at the northern vent at the summit of Kīlauea on March 19, 20-25, during episode 14 of the ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. Each cycle begins with low fountaining and lava gradually refilling the pond above the conduit.

Staff at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory made observations of lava fountaining during episode 12 of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu, at Kīlauea summit. Both the north and south vents were active during the evening of March 4, 2025, when these videos were taken.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory conducted a monitoring helicopter overflight of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu, at Kīlauea summit, at 10 a.m. HST on March 5, 2025. Episode 12 of the eruption was still active at this point in time, though it ended later that morning at approximately 10:37 a.m. HST.

Only weak vent activity was observed on the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit at 8 a.m. HST on March 4, 2025. Weak effusive activity continued throughout the day until around 2 p.m., when fountaining started with more vigor, producing a larger flow across the crater floor. 

Views of episode 10 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u during a sunrise field shift on February 20, 2025. HVO scientists measured fountain heights of about 45-50 m (148-164 feet) on average with frequent pulses reaching 60-65 meters (197-213 feet). Episode 10 started the evening of February 19, 2025, around 8:22 p.m.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff conducted a monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit at 12:30 p.m. on February 12, 2025, following the end of episode 9 of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu. A patchwork of lava flows of difference colors and different ages cover the floor of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea.

This compilation of videos shows views of episode 9 lava fountaining in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea the evening of February 11, 2025. Lava fountain heights were decreased from the morning of February 11, when episode 9 began. At approximately 8:15 p.m.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the Kīlauea eruption site at Haleaʻumaʻu the morning of February 11, 2025, just prior to the start of episode 9 of the eruption. From the caldera rim, they captured this video of the north vent, where the occasional spattering over the day prior had constructed a small cone within the vent.

During a helicopter overflight on Tuesday, February 4, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists landed on the floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater to collect lava samples from episode 8 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption.

This video compilation shows views of lava fountaining in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea on February 4, 2025. Lava fountain heights reaching approximately 50 meters (yards). Fountaining occurs through pond which supplies lava through a narrow notch in the cone wall. 

Episode 7 of the Halemaʻumaʻu eruption began at 6:42 p.m. HST on January 27, and continued through the night. Lava fountains fed a small flow onto the crater floor. This timelapse video is from the KWcam, which is located on the west caldera rim and looks east across Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. 

On the morning of January 24th, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists conducted an overflight of Kīlauea summit to capture thermal and surficial imagery of the December 2024 to January 2025 paused eruption. This video compilation shows aerial views of Halema’uma’u captured during the overflight. 

In the early evening of Wednesday, January 22, just a few hours into the fifth episode of Kīlauea's summit eruption, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists captured this high-resolution video of lava fountains at the northern eruptive vent (right) within Halema‘uma‘u crater.

On Friday, January 17, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) geologists flew an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS, or "drone") into Halema‘uma‘u crater to capture this close-up video of spattering at the two active vents of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption.

Compilation of videos taken of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu on January 17, 2025. Several clips show lava fountaining at the vents located in the southwest part of Kaluapele (the summit caldera), as well as lava flowing out of the south vent. The last clip shows a wind vortex (lavanado) within the caldera.