Kīlauea Summit Water

Kīlauea Summit Water Resources

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Ponded water first appeared at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, in late July 2019, and has slowly deepened since then. For more information about the water at the summit of Kīlauea:
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Status of Current Kīlauea Activity

• Latest Kīlauea Activity Update
• Plot of Kīlauea summit water depth (scroll to the bottom of the page)
• Kīlauea Webcams
• Photograph chronology showing most recent imagery from HVO
• Videos and short movie clips of Kīlauea
• Maps of recent volcanic activity
• Latest earthquakes and other map-based volcano monitoring data – Use the controls on the right to filter for specific data.
• Deformation data (tilt and GPS)

"Volcano Watch" articles about Kīlauea Summit Water

• "Scientists look to Hawaiian chants for mention of past crater lakes" – published Jan. 2, 2020
• "Pondering the pond: what Halema‘uma‘u water chemistry tells us" – published Nov. 14, 2019
• "What does water in Halema‘uma‘u mean?" – published Aug. 15, 2019
• "HVO now tracking ponds of water, not lava, at Kīlauea's summit" – published Aug. 9, 2019
• "Water or not water: that is (or was) the question" – published Aug. 1, 2019

USGS Videos about Kīlauea Summit Water

• What's happening at Kīlauea Volcano's summit? – published Jan. 20, 2020
• Sampling the water in Halema‘uma‘u – Kīlauea Volcano – published Dec. 10, 2019
• Water appears in Halema‘uma‘u – Kīlauea Volcano – published Oct. 10, 2019

Notable Media Coverage of Kīlauea Summit Water

• On December 3, 2019, HVO research geologist Matt Patrick updated the Hawai‘i County Council on the Halema‘uma‘u crater lake at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The presentation, which was requested by the council, also summarized the implications of the crater lake for hazards. See the full presentation on Big Island Video News.
• On August 21, 2019, HVO geophysicist Jim Kauahikaua discussed the water pond in Halema‘uma‘u and what it means in a 19-minute "Island Conversations" interview aired on Hawai‘i radio stations. Listen to the full interview at B93/B97 or Big Island Video News, which includes a transcription.