Images

A new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea volcano began at approximately 4:43 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. This reference map depicts activity in the first two hours of the eruption, based on measurements taken from the crater rim at approximately 6:00 a.m.

A close-up view of the fissure vent in the southwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. As of 9:30 a.m., multiple vents remain active in the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea summit.

A telephoto view of a lava fountain in the east side of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u. This photo was taken during a helicopter overflight over 8 hours after the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u started on June 7, 2023. Fountain heights had already decreased from the early stages of the eruption.

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist makes measurements of the rising active lava lake using a laser rangefinder mid-day on June 7, 2023.

In the early evening on June 7, 2023, the fissure in the southwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u had built up walls of spatter around the fountain. The fissure was continuing to pour lava down the talus slope into the active lava lake below. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Data recorded on June 7, 2023, by five seismometers located in Kīlauea summit region. The data is shown as spectrograms, which display the energy of seismic events (vertical axis) occurring over time (horizontal axis).

This photo, captured by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's KWcam on the northwest rim of the caldera, shows the opening phase of the eruption that began within Halemaʻumaʻu crater the early morning of June 7, 2023. A lava fountain bursts from a vent in the central part of the crater floor and lava begins to flood the surrounding area.

A new eruption began on June 7 in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photograph shows moments from the opening hours of the eruption, with an increase in vigor at vents in the western portion of the crater floor.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist examines layers of ash deposited during Kīlauea’s 1924 explosions south of the summit caldera. USGS Photo by J. Chang.

A helicopter overflight on May 23, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No active lava was present in the crater, with only scattered warm spots on the crater floor.

Another GPS survey benchmark being occupied on Mauna Loa. The metal disk on the ground beneath the tripod is the benchmark, which is cemented to the lava flow surface.

During the annual Mauna Loa GPS campaign, scientists temporarily deploy a number of GPS instruments at established benchmarks; their recorded positions can be compared with those from previous years to discern subtle patterns of ground deformation associated with volcanic activity.

The Vibroseis vehicle has been operating on roads in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and in the Kīlauea summit region for the past several weeks. The vehicle belongs to the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental facility at the University of Texas at Austin, which is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation.

This aerial view, looking east across Halema‘uma‘u crater floor, shows the complex features formed during recent Kīlauea summit eruptions.

HVO scientists observed no changes to Kīlauea summit during a routine monitoring overflight the morning of May 23, 2023. Mauna Loa is visible in the background of the image. USGS image by K. Mulliken.

A helicopter overflight on May 23, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. No active lava was present in the crater, with only scattered warm spots on the crater floor.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geophysicists are performing the annual GPS survey of Mauna Loa. Most Mauna Loa GPS campaign survey sites have been occupied every year since 1996, whereas less active volcanoes Hualālai and Haleakalā are surveyed every 3–5 years. USGS image by A. Ellis.

Another aerial view of the Vibroseis truck near Maunaulu in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The truck is generating seismic signals that will help to provide a new detailed view of shallow subsurface structures and the magma system beneath Kīlauea volcano’s summit.

Kīlauea summit tiltmeter data (top) and summit GPS daily vertical position data (bottom) shown for the time period January 1, 2020, to May 15, 2023. Summit intrusion and eruption onsets are marked with thin vertical lines and labels. Increased positions and positive slopes in these plots are interpreted as inflation at Kīlauea’s summit. USGS plots.

This photo shows a spiked seismic node, and the tools used to deploy it, in the Hilina Pali area on May 6. USGS scientists use a compass to orient the node so it faces north, while using a level bubble to keep the instrument level when it is spiked into the ground.

USGS scientists deploy a bucket, containing a seismic node, which was set on a hard lava flow surface. There are now about 1,800 seismic nodes deployed around the Kīlauea summit region to record seismic signals for the next three weeks.