Images

During the cyclic low fountain to drainback phase of episode 15, both the north and south vents were active. This low-level activity began March 25 around 9:30 a.m. HST and continued for just over 24 hours before the fountaining phase began. USGS photo by H Winslow.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists observed the fountain activity and monitored changing fountain heights during episode 15 of the Halema‘uma‘u eruption. This photo was taken at 1:00 p.m. HST on March 26 during the high fountain stage of the episode. Photo direction is looking south. Fountain heights reached up to about 750 feet (230 meters) at this time.

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.  USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

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. USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

On March 26, 2025, during the early stages of episode 15 of the Halema‘uma‘u eruption, the north vent exhibited cyclic low fountaining and drainback. Here, the lava lake is at its peak overflowing into lava flows at 8:15 a.m. HST, before draining once again. USGS photo by H Winslow.

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. USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

Radar interferograms showing examples of linear subsidence features (indicated by yellow arrows) that occurred directly above recent dike intrusions.

An early morning overflight on March 21 allowed HVO geologists to conduct a new photo survey of the crater floor to measure the volume of erupted material from the latest fountaining episode. Fountaining ended yesterday, March 20, and this morning only a degassing plume was exiting the vents. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
 

The vent craters within Halema‘uma‘u were mostly obscured by the thick degassing plume the morning of March 21, but there were fleeting views of incandescence in the north crater. This photo shows what appeared to be a small collapse of the crater walls exposing hot material deposited from yesterday's fountaining, as opposed to fresh lava in the crater.

As episode 14 lava fountaining occurred during the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption, the KWcam webcam, F1cam thermal camera and continuous laser rangefinder perched on the crater edge (upper right portion of the photo), provided a continuous record of activity.

This photo shows the fountaining at Kīlauea summit at about 7:45 a.m. on March 20, during episode 14 of the ongoing eruption. At this time the south fountain was reaching the height of the crater rim, which is about 160 meters (520 feet) above the vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Just after 7:45 a.m. on March 20, the north fountain at the summit of Kīlauea abruptly shut off during episode 14, and the south fountain rose in height. The height was well above the crater rim, roughly 200 meters (650 feet) above the vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

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

An HVO geologist captures video of the episode 14 fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea. The videos are time-synchronized to better compare to geophysical data, for later study. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on March 20, 2025.

An HVO geologist uses a laser rangefinder to measure vent features during the episode 14 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Vigorous fountaining began around 6:30 a.m. on March 20, and continued into the early afternoon, as part of episode 14 of the ongoing summit eruption of Kīlauea. In this view from the northeast rim of Kaluapele (the summit caldera), the fountains produce a high outgassing plume, with Mauna Loa on the right side of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A telephoto view looking at the top of a lava fountain from episode 14 of the ongoing Halema‘uma‘u eruption. A trio of Koa‘e kea (white-tailed tropicbirds) were flying circles close to the lava fountain, at the summit of Kīlauea, presumably riding the thermal updrafts around the vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick taken on March 20, 2025.

Later in the morning on March 19, the northern eruptive vent joined its southern counterpart in effusing a lava flow onto the western floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Here, both vents and lava flows are seen from above on the western crater rim. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.

A closer view of the low dome fountain at the northern eruptive vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea on March 19, 2025. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

At the summit of Kīlauea on March 19, 2025, the onset of draining at the northern eruptive vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater included intense gas jetting, spraying small droplets of lava vertically. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Early on March 19, the southern eruptive vent within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea was the primary host of low-level eruptive activity. This photo, captured from the southern crater rim, shows minor spatter at the vent and a small lava flow proceeding onto the crater floor. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.