Images

Sulfur deposits downwind of the cracks show the southwest direction of trade winds in Hawaii. These cracks were just uprift of the June 3 eruption site on Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

On July 2, 2024, HVO field engineers re-leveled the UWE tiltmeter located near Uēkahuna bluff in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The instrument has recently approached the edge of its scale range, having recorded over 300 microradians of deformation since it was last re-leveled in August 2018.

Before the UWE tiltmeter could be leveled, sand had to removed from the six-meter-deep (20 feet) borehole housing the tiltmeter. HVO field engineers use a high-power vacuum to remove the sand, in order to access the tiltmeter. USGS image by M. Warren.

A view down the borehole that houses the UWE tiltmeter. The UWE tiltmeter was installed in 1999 and it is an important instrument within HVO's Kīlauea monitoring network, providing data on the pressurization levels within the shallow magma storage body beneath Halema‘uma‘u. USGS image by M. Warren. 

View of Puhimau Crater, one of the many craters visible just off of Chain of Craters Road within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Location where the May 1973 lava flows on Kīlauea’s upper East Rift Zone cross Chain of Craters Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS image by K. Mulliken. 

This reference map depicts the features on Kīlauea's upper East Rift Zone. Chain of Craters Road in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park follows the path of the upper East Rift Zone. Pit craters, thermal areas, and lava flows are evidence of a long history of magma moving along this rift zone pathway.

This map shows recent deformation at Kīlauea, over the timeframe of June 13 to June 29, 2024. Data was recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) 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.

An HVO geologist tests the upgraded KPcam connection to see if newly acquired images are being transmitted to the observatory. During the most recent Kīlauea eruption on June 3, the KPcam captured the glow as lava began erupting on the surface of the Southwest Rift Zone. USGS photo by M. Warren.

An HVO field engineer adjusts the view of the upgraded KPcam, which is fixed on a mast a couple meters (yards) above the ground surface. The camera is located on the south flank of Mauna Loa, at an elevation of about 2,000 meters (6,700 feet) above sea level, and provides expansive views to the southeast of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Warren.

An HVO geologist attaches the upgraded KPcam to the mast. Like all HVO webcams, the KPcam is in box that protects it against the weather and elements. USGS photo by M. Warren.

The KPcam, a webcam on the flank of Mauna Loa that looks south towards Kīlauea summit and the Southwest Rift Zone, was upgraded on June 25 by HVO staff. The new webcam will provide a higher quality image and slightly wider field of view. This photo shows HVO physical science technicians removing the old webcam. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

An HVO physical science technician checks the wiring on the new webcam, attached to the top of the mast, that looks towards the summit and Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The upgraded KPcam is located in the white box, fixed on a mast about a couple meters (yards) high. The camera view, which is the southeast, captures the uppermost portions of Kīlauea's middle East Rift Zone, the summit region, and the upper part of Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone.

Energy from solar panels at the KPcam site is stored in large batteries, which power the camera. Images captured by the camera are relayed, via an antenna, back to the observatory. USGS image by M. Warren.

HVO physical science technicians maintain dozens of HVO field stations across the Island of Hawai‘i, providing an opportunity to work in remote wilderness areas. Here, an HVO physical science technician carries out the old webcam along the Mauna Loa trail on a beautiful day. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This map shows deformation following the recent eruption at Kīlauea on June 3, 2024.  It covers from June 6 to June 13, 2024, and is recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) 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

This reference map depicts the June 3, 2024, eruption along Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone. The lava flows are shown in pink, covering about 99 acres (40 hectares); this number represents a slight increase from that reported Monday, June 3, due to minor flow expansion in the hours following that morning's helicopter overflight.

During an overflight at approximately 8:15 a.m. HST on June 6, 2024, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists observed the extensive crack features on either side of the now inactive fissures from the June 3 Kīlauea Southwest Rift Zone eruption. Cracks range in length and are parallel to the fissure system. USGS photo by A.R. Nalesnik. 

In addition to elevated volcanic gas emissions, other significant hazards also remain around the recent eruption site on the upper Southwest Rift Zone of Kīlauea.

The recent Southwest Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea produced small volumes of lava, and fountains left volcanic spatter on top of and beyond the extent of the newly erupted flows. The collected pieces of spatter range in size up to 4 inches (1 to 10 centimeters). USGS image by A.R. Nalesnik.