Images

Photograph of lava channels flowing from the base of the north vent lava fountain during episode 45 of lava fountaining in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea on April 23, 2026. Episode 45 began just after 1 a.m. HST and ended about 8.5 hours later at 10:01 a.m. HST.

The episode 45 outgassing plume at the summit of Kīlauea rose vertically and cast a long shadow towards Mauna Loa at sunrise. The wide-angle lens used for this photograph distorts the angle of the fountain. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists conducted a summit monitoring overflight shortly after the end of episode 45 to collect visual and thermal imagery of Halema‘uma‘u crater and new lava flows in order the map the extent of the new deposits at Kīlauea summit. The episode 45 lava flows are the lighter portions of the crater floor in this view.

During a monitoring helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit on April 23, 2026, shortly after the end of episode 45 of lava fountaining, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists got views into the north vent that show a complex structure with multiple openings.

Episode 45 lava fountaining began around 1:30 a.m. HST on Thursday, April 23, and continued for 8.5 hours. Fountain heights were moderate (mostly under 300 meters, or 1000 feet), and winds carried the tephra away from populated areas, minimizing tephra impacts. The north vent had the sole fountain, with the south vent showing only weak sporadic spattering.

A USGS geologist collects video of the north fountain and makes visual observations of the fountain dynamics during episode 45 at the summit of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Satellite image of Kilauea Military Camp near Kīlauea summit in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and neighboring Volcano Golf Course subdivision taken on April 22, 2026, and showing tephra covering the ground and roofs.

Satellite image of the north and south vents in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea on April 22, 2026. Incandescent lava is visible in both vents, and episode 45 of lava fountaining started shortly later during the early morning hours of April 23, 2026. Image credit: WorldView ©2026 Maxar, USG Plus.

Satellite image of Kilauea Military Camp near Kīlauea summit in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park taken on April 22, 2026, and showing tephra covering the ground and roofs. This area was affected by tephra deposition during lava fountaining episodes 43 (March 10, 2026) and 44 (April 9, 2026) at the summit of Kīlauea, in part due to wind conditions.

Satellite image of Halemaʻumaʻu and Kaluapele at Kīlauea summit in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Two eruptive vents (named the north and south vents) in Halemaʻumaʻu have been erupting lava fountains episodically since December 23, 2024. Forty-five episodes have occurred to date, depositing tephra around and in Kaluapele, and lava flows within Halemaʻumaʻu.

Satellite image of Volcano House Hotel (lower right in image), Kīlauea Visitor Center (middle right in image), and neighboring infrastructure near Kīlauea summit in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park taken on April 22, 2026.

COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) interferogram for the period from April 1 to April 9, 2026, covering Kīlauea volcano’s summit region.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineer uses a field laptop to configure the connection between the new radio that was installed on the cell tower in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. This radio receives monitoring data via a radio link from another tower located at Uēkahuna, which collects data from various volcano-monitoring stations.

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field engineer checks cables at the base of a cell tower in Hawaiʻi Volcano National Park as part of a new point-to-point radio being installed. The previous point-to-point radio was damaged during recent storms, resulting in partial volcano-monitoring data outages since April 11, 2026.

This reference map depicts the Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater that began on December 23, 2024. The data for this map were collected during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight on March 31, 2026; as such, the provided statistics are reflective of the first forty-three episodes of the eruption through March 10, 2026.

Episode 44 of lava fountaining in Halemaʻumaʻu began at the summit of Kīlauea began at 11:10 a.m. HST on April 9, 2026. Precursory lava flows began on April 3, primarily from the south vent, and continued intermittently until the episode began. The predominant lava fountain during episode 44, however, came from the north vent.

The eruptive plume associated with episode 44 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea was transported by wind in a northeast direction. This photo shows the plume from Volcano village, about 4 miles (6.5 km) northeast of the eruptive vents in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by P. Dotray. 

Episode 44 at the summit of Kīlauea generated a plume of ash and gas, which strong southerly winds transported in a narrow band to the north-northeast of Halemaʻumaʻu, where it widened over a large section of east Hawaiʻi. This photo shows the eruption plume from Hilo, about 25 miles (40 km) to the northeast of the eruptive vents. USGS photo by C.

Crater Rim Drive near Kilauea Military Camp in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park was covered with tephra from episode 44 lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea on April 9, 2026. This photo shows recent tire tracks in the newly deposited tephra. USGS photo by K. Mulliken.

This photograph shows Kīlauea summit eruption lava fountaining episode 44 on April 9, 2026, captured by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory B1cam on the south rim of the caldera. Although the south vent erupted most of the precursory lava flows, only the north vent erupted a lava fountain during the eruptive episode. USGS video.

During lava fountaining episode 44 at the summit of Kīlauea, winds transported gas and tephra in a narrow band to the north-northeast of Halemaʻumaʻu. Tephra fallout was strongest in the direction of Kilauea Military Camp and the Volcano Golf Course subdivision, with pieces of lightweight reticulite up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) reported falling in these areas.