Images

During the beginning of episode 46 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026, winds blew from the southeast direction.

Just after 10 a.m. on May 5, 2026, the eruption plume from episode 46 of Kīlauea summit lava fountaining was visible in the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory MLcam, located on the north rim of Mokuʻāweoweo (Mauna Loa summit caldera).

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist monitors episode 46 lava fountain in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea. From various locations around Kaluapele, Kīlauea summit caldera, USGS scientists check for tephra fallout, document and characterize eruptive activity, and measure the lava fountain and volcanic plume heights. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This photograph was taken by the KWcam located on the northwest rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater during episode 46 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026. The episode began at 8:17 a.m.

From the north rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea, the lava fountain from the north vent rises above the crater rim visible in the foreground. This photograph was taken just after 10 a.m. HST, and cooled, dark-colored tephra particles falling from the lava fountain are visible, illuminated by the incandescent lava fountain the background.

During episode 46 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea, the lava fountain from the north vent reached a maximum of 650 feet (200 meters) above ground level and the volcanic plume reached a maximum height of about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) above ground level around 10:30 a.m. HST on May 5, 2026. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

During episode 46 at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026, the north vent erupted lava fountains reaching a maximum height of 650 feet (200 meters) above the vent. This photograph was taken from the north rim of Kaluapele, Kīlauea summit caldera, at approximately 1 p.m. HST. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

The lava fountain from the north vent in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea viewed from the south rim at approximately 3 p.m. HST on May 5, 2026. Channelized lava flowing from the north vent fed lava flows on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This image shows the north vent in Halema‘uma‘u erupting a lava fountain during episode 46 at Kīlauea summit on May 5, 2026. This image was captured by a timelapse camera located on the south rim of the caldera. USGS webcam image. 

This map shows lava flow and tephra accumulation at the summit of Kīlauea volcano associated with episode 45 and 46 of the ongoing eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu that started on December 23, 2024, using data recorded by the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite constellation.

From the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater, the north vent lava fountain during episode 46 on May 5, 2026, rose above the crater rim. In the foreground, the damaged remains of Crater Rim Drive, which became impassable during the 2018 Kīlauea summit collapse, are littered with tephra fallout from past lava fountaining episodes. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Pele's hair, lapilli, and ash particles from episode 46 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea were transported by wind in a north-northwest direction during the latter half of the episode on the afternoon of May 5, 2026.

This macro photograph shows Pele's hair, strands of volcanic glass, that had accumulated into a tumble-weed-like structure where it fell at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field station near Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. A highlighter cap provides a scale. USGS photo by K. Mulliken. 

Another view of the north vent erupting a lava fountain at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 46 on May 5, 2026. This photograph was taken from the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu, and part of the crater rim visible in the foreground. Incandescent lava flows on the crater floor are visible emanating downslope of the north vent. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

This telephoto view shows the base of the north vent lava fountain during episode 46 at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026. A wide channel of lava flows from the vent, to feed lava flows on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

The north vent (right in photo) in Halemaʻumaʻu erupted a lava fountain during episode 46 at the summit of Kīlauea on May 5, 2026. The south vent (left in photo) spattered intermittently during the first half of episode 46, and gas jetting continued to be visible during the latter half of episode 46. USGS photo by M. Patrick. 

Photos of the fissure and lava cascading over the caldera rim from the August 14, 1971, eruption (top left), the extensive fissure system from the July 19–22, 1974 eruption (top center), and an aerial photo of the lava flow field from the September 25, 1982, eruption (top right).

This animated gif showing changes to Kīlauea summit region during the episodic lava fountaining eruption. The first satellite image was taken on November 27, 2024, before the eruption began.

Photo compilation of episodes 1–45 of the ongoing eruption at the summit of Kīlauea, including webcam imagery and photos taken by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists on the ground and during helicopter overflights. In all photos except for episode 7, the south vent is on the left and the north vent is on the right.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted post-episode-45 servicing of cameras along the south rim of Kīlauea caldera and witnessed a large dust devil, which is puahiohio in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, driven by heat rising from the hot lava flows on floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This thermal map was made from thermal images collected during an overflight immediately after the end of Kīlauea summit episode 45 lava fountaining on April 23, 2026. The thermal map shows a single channelized lava flow extending from the north vent, splitting into branching lava channels in the central part of the crater floor.