Images

On the morning of January 25, 2023, the active lava pond in the east side of Halema‘uma‘u crater had low fountaining generating bursts of lava about 1-2 m (3-7 ft) high. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

The perched active lava lake in the east side of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea began to overflow, shown in this zoomed image of the lake margin on the morning of January 25, 2023. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

A close up of the lava lake levee, in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The levee is formed by numerous small crustal plates rafted atop one another and fused together. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A wide view of the entire eastern lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, on January 20. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the small lava fountain at the upwelling source of the eastern lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The fountain is adjacent to a small island of solidified lava. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Dusk lighting on January 20, 2023, permitted better views of the morphology of the eastern lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The low sun angle highlighted the perched levees impounding the lake. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, on January 20, 2023. Lava upwells at the fountain source and spreads out towards the lake margin, where it downwells. Overall, activity in the crater has been steady in recent days. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the lava lake levee, in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea. The levee is formed by numerous small crustal plates rafted atop one another and fused together. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Telephoto view of the lava fountain within the active lava lake in the eastern side of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, taken on January 19, 2023. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

View of the active lava lake in the eastern side of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. A perched levee consisting of stacked crustal plates a few meters (yards) tall surrounds the lake. A fountain (orange) is present on the southwest side of the lake. At the time the photo was taken, a flow had breached the levee on the south (right) side.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption on January 18, 2023. The provided eruption statistics are derived from helicopter overflight data collected on January 17, 2023, but map features have been updated based on January 18 webcam views.

A helicopter overflight on January 17, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The largest lava lake is located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

Lava lake activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. This photo from the January 17 overflight looks west and shows that the eastern lake, in the foreground, remains stable. This eastern lake is supplied by a single fountain marked by the bright spot of incandescence.

A layer of fog covers the southern portion of Kīlauea Iki crater, as shown by this early morning overflight photo. USGS photo by C. Parcheta.

Plumes of steam were easily visible coming from Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff) during the January 17 overflight of Kīlauea summit. USGS photo by C. Parcheta.

The eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues with steady lava lake activity. The largest lake is in the eastern portion of the crater, and is supplied by a single fountain. A smaller lake is also active in the western portion of the crater, along with two other much smaller lakes. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A helicopter overflight on January 17, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The largest lava lake is located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.

This compilation shows thermal maps since the start of the eruption in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The map sequence shows the focusing of lava lake activity into two main lakes on the crater floor. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.

The location of permanent and temporary seismic instruments deployed across the southeast part of the Island of Hawai‘i. Shaded white areas show dense regions of earthquakes interpreted as the Pāhala sill complex. Dashed white box outlines a region of sparsely spaced volcano-tectonic earthquakes that lie between the Kīlauea summit and Pāhala. 

A plume emanates from the western side of Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, reaching the clouds of the inversion layer. The eruption within Halema‘uma‘u continues, with activity concentrated primarily in the eastern part of the crater (not shown) and a basin in the western part of the crater that was the focus of activity during the 2021-2022 eruption.

A helicopter overflight on January 10, 2023, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The active vents are located in the eastern portion of the crater, though lava has also filled the areas previously active in the western portion of the crater.