Images

At approximately 3:15 a.m. HST, the eruption south of Kīlauea's summit remained active. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists captured this view on route to the eruption area. USGS image by N. Deligne. 

Scientists observed cracks in previous eruptive surfaces near the new fissure eruption southwest of Kīlauea's summit on June 3, 2024. These cracks ranged from a few centimeters (inches) to approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) wide.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists document the early phases of the eruption southwest of Kīlauea summit on June 3, 2024. On the left, a geologist photographs the activity while a geologist on the right uses the laser rangefinder to measure the length of the fissure and height of the fountains. USGS image by C. Sealing.

Early morning glow of the eruption southwest of Kīlauea summit on June 3, 2024. This image was taken at 4:27 a.m. HST looking southeast toward the eruptive fissures. USGS image by H Winslow.

The glow from the eruption of Kīlauea volcano, visible from Volcano House in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park during the early morning hours of June 3. Image courtesy of Volcano House. 

A close up of the cone that formed in the June 2023 eruption, at the southwest end of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava from the vent poured into a ponded region, which later drained as the eruption waned. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

An HVO scientist takes gravity measurements at a benchmark near a crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The gravimeter is the small, shoebox-sized instrument, which can measure a change in the force of gravity to one-in-one billionth of the force you feel every day. USGS photo by A. Ellis.

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea from April 19 to May 5, 2024, as recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (AGI) 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 indicative of inflation as the magma reservoi

This map depicts recent unrest at Kīlauea. Yellow circles mark the locations of approximately 1,600 earthquakes that have occurred between April 27 and May 2, 2024. Most earthquakes have been smaller than magnitude-2, with locations clustering in an area known as the upper East Rift Zone or East Rift connector.

This photo shows the southwest portion of Kaluapele (Kīlauea's summit caldera). In the lower right corner of the image is the cone formed during the June 2023 eruption. This cone hosted impressive lava fountaining that supplied lava through a narrow channel into the lava pond in the lower left portion of the image. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Despite a significant increase in small earthquakes at the summit and upper East Rift Zone in recent days, activity at the surface was quiet On May 1, 2024. This photo shows the floor of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, which last erupted in September 2023.

The V1cam webcam, which provides the livestream at the summit of Kīlauea, is a pan-tilt-zoom model that allows HVO staff to adjust the view remotely based on changes in activity in the caldera. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

HVO staff performed some routine maintenance on the V1cam at Kīlauea summit. This webcam provides the livestream that operates 24/7, and has helped track recent eruptions in the summit caldera. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

HVO scientist setting up temporary GPS equipment south of Kaluapele (the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano).The long profile of Mauna Loa volcano is prominent in the background. USGS image by D.A. Phillips.

Participants of the May 2024 Kīlauea petrology workshop discuss the local geology near lava flows that erupted during the lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea in 2018. USGS photo by A. Lerner. 

Participants of the May 2024 Kīlauea petrology workshop, hosted in Hilo, visited the Kaumana Caves State Park during one of their field trips. The lava tubes at Kaumana Caves State Park formed during the 1880-1881 eruption of Mauna Loa, which occurred on the Northeast Rift Zone.

Participants of the May 2024 Kīlauea petrology workshop observe an outcrop of tephra near Kapoho cone, located on the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea. Tephra is a word that describes volcanic particles that are ejected out of an erupting vent, which travel through the air before being deposited on the ground. USGS photo by A. Lerner. 

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea volcano, from April 5 to April 27, 2024, as recorded by the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) TerraSAR-X satellite.  This interferogram spans the beginning of the recent swarm under the upper East Rift Zone.  White circles mark the locations of earthquakes during that time, as recorded by HVO seismometers.

Distribution of permanent seismic stations and previously deployed seismic nodes in southern half of the Island of Hawai‘i. Shaded regions display the total footprint that nodal deployments this spring and summer will occupy. 

A scientist takes gravity measurements on the sloping floor of Kaluapele. This part of the caldera floor, referred to as the "down-dropped block" moved downwards during the Kīlauea summit collapse of 2018.

A volcano observatory scientist and a collaborator carry the gravity survey instruments across spatter deposits from the September 2023 Kīlauea summit eruption.