Images

Glow and flames were observed in Kīlauea summit webcam imagery overnight, with occasional spatter, but only incandescence was visible within the vent during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring overflight the afternoon of September 18, 2026. USGS photo by K. Lynn. 

The shiny grey lava flow in the foreground of this photograph was erupted between September 14-16, 2026, by one of several new vents that opened in and along the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea.

This low-angle aerial view, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit on September 18, 2026, shows two of the six vents that erupted between September 14-16, 2026.

With permission from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists collected a sample of lava that erupted from new vents in Halemaʻumaʻu between September 14-16, 2026. This photograph gives a sense of scale between the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater and the upper floor of Kaluapele (the summit caldera).

Four months of data from tiltmeter UWD at Kīlauea’s summit. Deflationary periods are particularly visible before fountaining episodes 51-54. The tiltmeter record is rotated to an azimuth of 300 degrees, such that upward deflections are consistent with inflation of the summit magma chamber and downward deflections are consistent with deflation.

During the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight on September 16, geologists captured this view of Kīlauea Iki (erupted in 1959) in the center, with Maunaulu lava shield (erupted from 1969–1974) on the skyline on the right. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

Aerial photo from the east looking west of two currently inactive fissures on the wall of Halema‘uma‘u, located to the north (left out of view) of the main vent complex. The fissure on the left has a circular appearance and initiated shortly before 9 p.m. H.S.T. on September 15.

Oblique aerial view to the north of the lava flows (silvery appearance) that have erupted from the new fissures at the summit of Kīlauea volcano within Halema‘uma‘u. This photo was taken on a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight the morning of September 16.

View of north vent (top left), south vent (middle right), and west vent (bottom center) within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea, taken during a helicopter overflight on September 16, 2026. Helicopter skids are visible in the bottom right.

Oblique aerial view looking southwest of south (left) and north (right) vents, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on September 16, 2026. Spattering from north vent has formed a cone that is approximately 10 meters (30 feet) tall. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

On September 14, new fissures began breaking out along the base of the northwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater, north of the episodic lava fountaining vents that have persisted since December 23, 2024, at the summit of Kīlauea.

This thermal map of the summit of Kīlauea was constructed from images collected during a morning overflight on September 16, 2026. The map shows two small but active flows in the northwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater, erupting from new vents that opened in the past two days.

New fissures opened up on and near the base of the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea on September 14-15, 2026, north of the established vent complex at the summit of Kīlauea. The V2cam, located on the east rim of the crater, shows the locations of these new eruptive features.

Low-angle aerial view looking southwest of the vent area within Halema‘uma‘u, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on September 16, 2026.

This photo, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on September 16, 2026, shows south vent at the summit of Kīlauea in the bottom center. The caldera floor is towards the top of the photo; the north vent is out of view on the left.

This reference map depicts new eruptive vents and lava flows in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea since September 14, 2026. Most of the data for this map were collected during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on the morning of September 16.

This view of the eruptive vent complex in Halemaʻumaʻu, taken on the morning of September 15, shows the new fissures that opened the night of September 14, 2026. The main vent complex in the center of the photo includes the north, south, and west vents, which are visibly degassing from a shield-shaped structure on the crater floor.

New fissures opened up on and near the base of the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater last night, north of the established vent complex at the summit of Kīlauea.

New fissures opened up on and near the base of the northwest wall of Halemaʻumaʻu crater last night, north of the established vent complex at the summit of Kīlauea. The B1cam, located on the south rim of the crater, captured the evolution of these new eruptive features, as visible in this animated GIF spanning the evening of September 14-15, 2026.

Yesterday evening, September 14, new fissures began breaking out along the base of the northwest wall of Halema‘uma‘u crater, north of the episodic lava fountaining vents that have persisted since December 23, 2024, at the summit of Kīlauea.

This low-angle aerial view of the new fissures and lava flows in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea was captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory overflight this morning, September 15.