Images

The tire tracks in this photo trace the path of Crater Rim Drive (closed to the public) in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This part of the road is covered by tephra erupted from Kīlauea volcano since December 23, 2024. Where the photo is taken the tephra is over 5 feet thick, increasing to over 60 feet thick at the mound of tephra on the skyline.

This panoramic image shows Halema‘uma‘u crater a few days after the end of episode 33 of the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea volcano. This photo, looking eastward (north is left, south is right), was taken from near the top of the mound of tephra that has accumulated west of Halema‘uma‘u since the start of the eruption in December 2024.

On September 24, 2025, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews collected samples from a cooled 'a'ā lava flow erupted during episode 33 (left half of photo in foreground) at Kīlauea volcano. This was part of a morning monitoring helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit.

This thermal map shows the temperature distribution on the crater floor at the summit of Kīlauea. The ongoing eruption has covered the crater floor in successive layers of new lava flows. This thermal map shows that the flows that erupted during episode 33 (September 19) remain warm, and are visible along the north and south margins of the crater.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists did not see any lava at the bottom of north (bottom right) or south (center) vents during a Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight on September 24. This photo shows the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u, and much of the slope is covered in brown tephra erupted during episode 33 on September 19. USGS photo by N.

This aerial view of Kīlauea Iki (center crater with lava covering the floor) and Pu‘u Pua‘i (brown hill to its right) was taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit on September 24. On the horizon from left to right are, Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (center), Kānenuiohamo (right of center), and Maunaulu (right).

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists took this oblique angle view of north (center) and south vents (to the right and closer to top of photo) during a Kīlauea summit monitoring overflight on September 24. The brown sand-like material that covers the right and top parts of the photo are tephra erupted during episode 33.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's helicopter overflight on September 24 provided aerial views of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) from the east looking west. The vents of the eruption that started on December 23, 2024 are degassing on the western side of Halema‘uma‘u crater. Mauna Loa can be seen in the background. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

A lava bomb from the north vent above the crater rim that was found not long after it landed and cooled. As the molten bombs fly through the air, they cool and form a glassy crust with the interior full of vesicles. Most shatter into many pieces upon impact with the ground, but on rare occasions some stay mostly intact.

The episode 33 lava fountain from the north vent, at the summit of Kīlauea, is seen beyond the collapsed end of Crater Rim Drive. This portion of Crater Rim Drive was destroyed during the 2018 summit collapse events, and is closed to the public. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

HVO geologists make an initial assessment of the episode 33 lava fountain from the collapsed end of Crater Rim Drive, at the summit of Kīlauea. This portion of Crater Rim Drive was destroyed during the 2018 summit collapse events, and is closed to the public. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

HVO geologists collect video and make visual observations of the episode 33 lava fountain, at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

At 8:38 a.m. HST on September 17, the Halema‘uma‘u north vent overflowed for the first time in advance of Kīlauea summit eruptive episode 33.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. As of this posting on September 12, 2025, the eruption has had thirty-two episodes, with the most recent occurring on September 2.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist descends from the new tephra mound at Kīlauea summit that has been deposited over part of Crater Rim Drive (closed to the public) in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The short wooden post in the bottom left is the top of a sign post for the road. A tephra collection bucket is situated here for tephra sampling.

The tire tracks in this photo trace the path of Crater Rim Drive (closed to the public) in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This part of the road is covered by more than a meter (yard) of tephra erupted since December 23, 2024. Just south of this photo, a large mound of tephra accumulated during the ongoing eruption has buried the road over 20 meters (yards) deep.

Tephra is the material erupted that travels through the air before falling on the ground. During the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea, tephra from each episode of lava fountaining tells us about the magma storage conditions leading to the eruption.

This view is taken from the flank of the new tephra mound at Kīlauea summit, over Crater Rim Drive (closed to the public) in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The tire tracks of the vehicle mark the path of Crater Rim Drive.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists documented episode 32 of Kīlauea's ongoing summit eruption from the Kīlauea Overlook within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. There, tephra from the lava fountain was visibly lofted high into the air by buoyant degassing during the eruption. USGS photo by C. Cauley. 

Vigorous lava fountaining during episode 32 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption, on September 2, 2025, fed multiple lava channels on Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor. These lava channels transported erupted material from the west part of the crater, where the eruption was occuring, to the east side of the crater. USGS photo by N. Kohagura. 

This image was taken by the S2cam during episode 32 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption, on September 2, 2025. The S2cam is a temporary webcamera positioned on the south rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauae summit caldera) and the view is to the west. USGS webcam image.