Images

On a Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight at 8:45 a.m. HST on August 25, 2026, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff sampled a molten lava flow in Halema‘uma‘u. This pāhoehoe flow was from discontinuous overflows during dome fountaining prior to episode 54 fountaining, which started a few hours later at 10:30 a.m. HST.

The K2 cam is located on a tower near Uēkahuna bluff in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This image, captured by the K2cam at 11:46 a.m. HST on August 25, 2026, shows visitors at the overlook viewing the lava fountain from the north vent that erupted during episode 54. USGS webcam photo. 

Episode 54 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea began at 10:30 HST on August 25, 2026. At the time this photograph was taken, from the north rim of the caldera around 11 a.m., the fountain from the north vent was about 50-75 feet (15-20 meters) meters high. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

The lava fountain erupting from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 54 on August 25, 2026, generated a lava flow on the caldera-wall side of the vent complex. This lava flow skirted the northwest part of the caldera wall.

This panoramic photo from the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu on August 12 shows Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 lava fountaining and the spatter-fed flow running along the northern perimeter of the crater floor (bottom of photo). The V1cam and KWcam site is visible at the left edge of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Lava fountaining episode 53 of the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea began at 3:45 p.m. HST on August 12, 2026. This photo of the fan shaped lava fountain was taken from the Uēkahuna overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, around 5:00 p.m. HST when the lava fountains were approximately 500 ft (150 m) high. USGS photo taken by M. Cappos.

A wide view of the Uēkahuna overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, during episode 53 lava fountains of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption. The volcanic gas plume rises from the lava fountains as visitors watch the eruption. The ground surface is blanketed in tephra (volcanic rock particles) that were deposited during earlier episodes of this eruption.

Episode 53 of the ongoing episodic Kīlauea summit eruption started on August 12 at 3:45 p.m. HST. The episode 53 lava fountain erupting from the north vent reached heights of approximately 500 ft (150 m) with the gas plume reaching 18,000 ft (5600 m) above sea level.

Crowds of visitors gather at Uēkahuna bluff in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to watch Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 lava fountaining on August 12, 2026. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

As the sun set on August 12, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists had excellent views of Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 lava fountaining in the clear weather. The fountain shape changed rapidly, often shutting off the spatter-fed flow on the north side of the vent (right side of photo). USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A closer look at the spatter fallout zone during Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 lava fountaining on August 12, 2026. This was the source of the spatter-fed flow directed towards the northern portion of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The spatter-fed flow on the north side of the vent was intermittent during Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 lava fountaining on August 12, 2026. Changes in the shape of the fountain and spatter fallout zone often restarted the flow down the steep slopes of the vent cone. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A photo of an FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer) instrument that a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist uses to measure the chemical composition of volcanic gas during the start of eruptive episode 53 at the summit of Kīlauea. The ongoing episodic summit eruption, within Halema‘uma‘u, began on December 23, 2024. USGS photo taken by M.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists on the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu capture video and make observations of the fountain behavior during Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 on August 12, 2026. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This wide-angle, panoramic photo from the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu shows the outgassing plume from Kīlauea summit eruption episode 53 lofting vertically and then drifting west—towards the summit of Mauna Loa—on August 12, 2026. The sun was setting behind the plume, creating an orange tint in the early evening. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Clear air during the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on August 11 offered geologists a wide-ranging view of Kīlauea and a couple of the other volcanoes on the Island of Hawai‘i, with Mauna Kea visible in the distance of this photo beyond the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on August 11 passed low over the Kīlauea summit eruptive vents in western Halema‘uma‘u. This photo was captured looking to the south, with the north vent in the center foreground and the south vent behind it.

This wide-angle photo looks east over Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea, during the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on August 11. The Halema‘uma‘u eruptive vents are in the lower-right corner of the photo, with the volcanic gas plume carried southwest in the trade winds.

Backscattered electron image of olivine grains erupted at the summit of Kīlauea. Numbers in grains are forsterite (Fo) contents that measure the ratio of Magnesium (Mg) and Iron (Fe). Fo=100*(Mg/(Mg+Fe)). Panel A shows a typical olivine that has one composition (Fo83).

A) Maximum lava fountain heights during episodes 1-51 of the episodic eruption at the summit of Kīlauea in meters with three cycles of fountain height growth. B) Magnesium oxide (MgO) concentrations in the glass of tephra samples from episodes 1-51. 

During the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on July 29, geologists had clear views to the east of Kīlauea summit—a somewhat rare occurrence, as this area is often cloaked in misty rain. Here, Kīlauea Iki is seen in the foreground, with the East Rift Zone stretching across the background.