Images

This reference map depicts the approximate location of the fissures that erupted from the Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone, likely between approximately 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. HST on Sunday 15, 2024, in a remote and closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Small lava pads erupted from two fissure segments in a couple hundred meters (hundred yards).

An east-facing view showing Nāpau Crater in the background and the recent eruption in the foreground. This brief eruption took place on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea over about an hour during heavy rain that obscured webcam views the evening of September 15, 2024. USGS photo by M. Zoeller. 

Dead trees and vegetation are surrounded by freshly erupted lava west of Nāpau Crater on the remote middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This eruption likely occurred between approximately 9–10 p.m. HST on September 15.  USGS photo by M. Zoeller. 

During a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight at approximately 10:30 a.m. HST on September 16, geologists observed freshly erupted lava west of Nāpau Crater on the remote middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This eruption likely occurred between approximately 9–10 p.m. HST on September 15.  

During a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight at approximately 10:30 a.m. HST on September 16, geologists observed steam rising above freshly erupted lava west of Nāpau Crater on the remote middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This eruption likely occurred between approximately 9–10 p.m.

Another aerial view showing the new lava flows that had erupted over about an hour during the evening of September 15, 2024.

Another aerial view of the small lava flows erupted by Kīlauea over about an hour on September 15, 2024. This eruption took place on the remote middle East Rift Zone, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Although the eruption was over during the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory morning overflight, volcanic gas emissions were continuing.

A brief, small eruption occurred on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea late on September 15. The eruption produced two small pads of lava just west of Nāpau Crater, which is west (uprift) of the former Pu‘u‘ō‘ō eruption site. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This reference map depicts the fissure and lava flows from the Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption of Sunday, September 15, 2024. The eruption occurred between approximately 9:00 and 10:00 p.m., in a remote and closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Mike Cappos takes the bearing of a crack that formed in Chain of Craters Road during a recent intrusive event near Pauahi Crater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by C. Sealing.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Mike Cappos measures cracks that formed in Chain of Craters Road during a recent intrusive event near PAUAHI Crater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by C. Sealing.

The map on the left shows recent deformation at Kīlauea over the timeframe of August 9–21, 2024. Data were acquired by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A satellite. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation. Each color cycle represents 2.8 cm (1.1 in) of ground motion.

USGS scientists made a routine visit to the summit of Kīlauea for maintenance work on a webcam and general observations. The weather offered clear views of Kaluapele (the summit caldera), and only minor outgassing from several spots on the caldera floor. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea, over the timeframe of August 7-19, 2024. Data were acquired by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A satellite. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation.  Each color cycle represents 2.8 cm (1.1 in) of ground motion.

This reference map depicts the features on Kīlauea's middle East Rift Zone, much of which is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Pit craters and lava flows are evidence of a long history of magma moving along this rift zone pathway. Numerous eruptions took place in this region during the 1960s–1970s.

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea, over the timeframe of July 26-August 7, 2024. Data were acquired by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1A satellite. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation.  Each color cycle represents 2.8 cm (1.1 in) of ground motion.

Left: 2024 HVO PIPES intern Kamalani Poepoe and colleagues prepare samples from Kīlauea’s June 2024 eruption for analysis. Top Right: Kamalani gets instruction on how to perform eruption response tasks on the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu. Lower Right: Kamalani presenting her work at the 2024 PIPES symposium in Honolulu, HI. 

Map of Island of Hawaiʻi, highlighting the four active or potentially active volcanoes of the Island, the number of people living on each volcano based on 2020 census data, major roads (transportation corridors) and minor roads (proxy for population density), when each volcano last erupted, and each volcano’s national threat assessment designation.

This reference map depicts recent unrest along Kīlauea's upper East Rift Zone. Earthquakes that occurred between July 22–25, 2024, are shown as yellow circles. Recent ground deformation in this region, over the timeframe of July 15-24, 2024, is shown as colored fringes; data were recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) Cosmo-SkyMED satellite.

On July 25, USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) staff again drove down the closed portion of Chain of Craters Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to check for any damage related to the July 22-25 intrusion on Kīlauea's upper East Rift Zone. They found many new small cracks in Chain of Craters Road, including this one, near Hiʻiaka Crater.

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea, over the timeframe of July 15-24, 2024. Data were recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) Cosmo-SkyMED satellite. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation.  Each color cycle represents 1.5 cm (0.6 in) of ground motion.