Images

Tephra is a word that describes any material erupted by a volcano that travels through the air before landing on the ground. Volcanic ash is tephra particles that are less than 2 mm in size (less than 0.08 in).

Volcanic ash is washed off a road in Volcano Village on January 27, 2026, and coats the plants adjacent to the road. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

A piece of reticulite, a very frothy type of tephra full of bubbles, remains perched on top of a Hapuʻu tree fern frond in Volcano Village on January 27, 2026. This material was erupted during episode 41 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on January 24, 2026. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Tephra clean-up efforts on Highway 11, near the entrance to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, on January 26, 2026. Water was sprayed on the pavement before machinery scrubs the pavement to remove the tephra particles.

Tephra fall from episode 41 of Kīlauea summit eruption included pieces of reticulite, frothy rocks full of bubbles made by gas within lava expanding (which drives the lava fountaining process). These pieces of rock are very lightweight and glassy, which makes them very easy to crush.

Tephra fall from episode 41 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on a picnic table in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

At the intersection of Seventh Street and Ruby Avenue in Mauna Loa Estates, tephra from Kīlauea episode 41 has been crushed by vehicles driving the roadway, while intact tephra covers the grassy area next to the road. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

Tephra fall from episode 41 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea at the former Jaggar Museum Overlook near Uēkahuna in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

Tephra fall from episode 41 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on a structure in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Photo of broken pieces of reticulite, fine ash, and Pele's hair on a ginger leaf in the Volcano area, following episode 41 of lava fountaining on January 24, 2026. This photo was taken at a residence about 7.3 km (4.5 miles) away from the eruptive vents in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists observed and documented episode 41 of the episodic Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. This photograph, taken from the Keanakāko‘i Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, shows lava fountains from both the north and south vents, with tephra falling in the foreground. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Photograph taken of concrete pad located at the Volcano House Hotel, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, covered with reticulite tephra clasts that fell throughout most of episode 41 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on January 24, 2026. These clasts tend to be light weight and consist mostly of glass with sharp edges that can cut skin and cause splinters.

Lava fountains during episode 41 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on January 24, 2026. This photograph was taken by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory K2cam, which is located on a tower near the Uēkahuna overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo. 

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists observed and documented episode 41 of the episodic Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. Lava fountains in both the north and south vents were active with maximum heights reaching 460-480 m (1500-1575 ft).

This photograph was taken at around 1:10 p.m. HST from the Volcano House Hotel within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This photo shows the heights that the north and south vents achieved during episode 41 on January 24, with the latter reaching at least 450 m (about 1500 ft) at times.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists observed and documented episode 41 of the episodic Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. This photograph, taken from the Keanakāko‘i Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, shows lava fountains from both the north and south vents, with tephra falling in the foreground. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists observed and documented episode 41 of the episodic Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. This photograph, taken from the Keanakāko‘i Overlook in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, shows lava fountains from both the north and south vents, with tephra falling in the foreground. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Photo of tephra on a water tank catchment cover in the Volcano area. Large clasts of reticulite, Pele's hair, and other ash particles fell heavily throughout the Volcano area and east side of the Island of Hawaiʻi during lava fountaining episode 41 at the summit of Kīlauea on January 24, 2026.

This timelapse image shows Kīlauea summit eruption episode 41 on January 24, 2026, captured by a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory research camera on the south rim of the caldera. Both the north and south vents erupted. USGS photo.

This photograph was taken from Volcano House Hotel, in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park at around 11:25 a.m. on January 24, 2026, around the time that the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory declared the start of episode 41 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea.

This plot shows the line length between two GPS stations in Kīlauea summit region (UWEV and OUTL) since the episodic summit eruption began on December 23, 2024. These stations are located on opposite sides of the caldera and the distance between them can be used as a proxy for pressurization within the shallow Halemaʻumaʻu magma chamber.