Images

Near the Kīlauea Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, an ‘ōhi‘a lehua frames the lava fountains of episode 28 on July 9. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

During episode 28 of lava fountaining during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption, USGS scientists approached the caldera rim to measure volcanic gas emissions with permission from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This lava fountain on the morning of July 9 was approximately 1000 feet tall (300 meters).

Captured on USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory livestreaming V2cam, the north vent produced a fan-shaped fountain during episode 28 on July 9. The south vent was quiet during this episode, giving the north vent the full spotlight. Maximum fountain height in this episode was 321 meters (1053 feet). USGS photo. 

During episode 28 lava fountaining on Wednesday, July 9, clasts of fluid, molten lava were ejected to heights of approximately 1000 feet (300 meters) from the vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and deposited onto the growing tephra hill on the western side of Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera).

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on July 9, the sunrise illuminated the walls of Kaluapele, as the north vent remained in the shadows of the caldera walls. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

Since December 23, 2024, 30 episodes of lava fountaining have happened in summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. 

Following episode 27 of the Kīlauea summit eruption on June 29, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineers visited several sites southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu on July 1 to remove tephra that had accumulated on the solar panels and station infrastructure. USGS photos by M. Warren. 

The Ha‘akulamanu trail within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park passes through the Sulphur Banks area, where long-term degassing near Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera) has altered the basalt to colorful minerals including yellow sulfur, white gypsum, and reddish-brown hematite. USGS photo by C. Sealing.

From the south rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera), the growing tephra cone downwind of the ongoing eruption site in Halemaʻumaʻu is easily visible. On June 29, visitors gathered along the rim near Keanakākoʻi Overlook within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to view lava fountaining associated with episode 27. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Episode 27 of the Halema‘uma‘u Kīlauea summit eruption began around 9:05 a.m. HST on June 29, 2025. The north vent was active for majority of the eruption and reached approximately 1115 ft (~340 m) high by 11:00 am HST. The south vent became active with low level fountaining of about 65 ft (20 m) just before 4:00 p.m. HST. The fountains lasted just under 11 hours.

Strands of Pele's Hair collect in low-lying areas near Keanakākoʻi Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Visitors near the Keanakākoʻi Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park view lava fountaining during episode 27 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on June 29. Approximately 1.6 billion gallons (8.1 million cubic yards, 6.2 million cubic meters) of lava erupted during the sustained fountaining phase of episode 27.

A koaʻe kea (white-tailed tropicbird) flies near the lava fountain during episode 27 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu. These birds are often visible in the vicinity of Kaluapele (Kīlauea summit caldera), as they nest in the walls of the caldera. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

This near-vertical view into the north vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater was captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) flight on June 26, 2025. The aircraft was about 150 m (500 ft) above the vent, with north oriented to the upper left in this view.

These maps show lava flow and tephra accumulation at Kīlauea volcano associated with episodes 23 (left) and 24 (right) of the ongoing eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu that started on December 23, 2024, using data recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite constellation.

This animated GIF shows a timelapse sequence consisting of one image every several days between December 25, 2024, and June 20, 2025.  The photos were taken from the northern rim of the caldera, near Uēkahuna overlook and the view is south towards the ongoing eruption site in Halemaʻumaʻu.

On June 26, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory conducted a UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) mission to monitor the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption and map its tephra deposits. Here, a geologist prepares for a flight from former Crater Rim Drive within the closed portion of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The KWcam, F1cam, and laser rangefinder have been co-located with the V1cam on the western rim of Kaluapele, Kīlauea summit caldera. These instruments will provide additional monitoring for the ongoing episodic Kīlauea summit eruption.  USGS photo by M. Warren. 

On June 24, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff reinstalled the KWcam, F1cam, and laser rangefinder on the rim of Kaluapele, Kīlauea summit caldera. These instruments had been removed from the field in March 2025 as they were within an area impacted by tephra fallout from the ongoing eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory physical science technicians leave the field after installing two webcams and a continuous laser at the summit of Kīlauea, to help monitor the ongoing lava fountains. The landscape here is now covered by a thick carpet of tephra from the recent lava fountaining episodes, changing much of the appearance of the western caldera rim.

The V1cam (far right), KWcam, F1cam, and continuous laser rangefinder are perched on the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. This monitoring equipment are powered by a series of solar panels and battery banks (visible in the background of the photo), all of which are installed with permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by M.