Images

A close up view of the western portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. A weak gas plume is emitted from the western fissure vent (left), with the most recent sulfur dioxide emission rate measured at 150 tonnes per day on May 11. USGS photograph taken by D. Downs on May 12, 2021 from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u.

A wide view of Halema‘uma‘u from the western crater rim, at the summit of Kīlauea. The west vent (lower left) continues to supply lava into the lake through a submerged inlet. Much of the western active lava lake surface has crusted over in the last few weeks as the effusion rate remains low. USGS photograph taken by D. Downs on May 12, 2021.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active, as seen in this view looking northwest. The active surface lava area continues to decrease in size, and activity is weaker, with only occasional localized surface foundering.

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake has filled 229 m (751 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 746 m (2448 ft) asl since the eruption began on December 20, 2020.

This close-up view of the active western portion of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea was captured on Thursday, May 6 through the lens of a laser rangefinder used by HVO scientists to measure distances to features within the crater.

View of the active surface lava in the western portion of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The west vent (upper left) continues to erupt lava into the lava lake through an inlet near the base of the cone.

Lava continues to flow from the western vent (bottom left) into the lava lake at Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i. A portion of the active surface of the lava lake can be seen here with orange, incandescent lava between the west vent and the main island. This photograph was taken on Wednesday, March 5, 2021, at 12:37 p.m.

HVO scientists hiked along the closed Crater Rim Road on April 30th to retrieve acoustic (sound) sensors for a scientific study. This section of the road was damaged by earthquake activity during the 2018 Kīlauea summit caldera collapse. This stretch of road traverses part of the September 1982 lava flow, visible as a lobe of black rock on the right of the road.

On Friday, April 30, lava continued to erupt from the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. Active surface lava (center of the photo) was limited to the center of the previously active lake surface, where the north (right) and south (left) sides have cooled and crusted over (appearing darker in the image). This photo was taken around 2 p.m.

While hiking along the rim of the 2018 collapse area at the summit of Kīlauea, HVO scientists visited a site to the southeast of Halema‘uma‘u known as Akanikōlea—a culturally-significant place that is featured in Hawaiian legends.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active, as seen in this view looking north. Active surface lava is limited to the western (left) portion of the lake between the main island and the western fissure complex.

On Monday, April 26, 2021, lava continued to flow from the western vent (bottom left) into the active lava lake (center) in Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. The active lava lake surface continues to shrink as areas on the north (upper left) and south (center right) sides cool and solidify. This photograph was taken at 1:03 p.m.

A close-up view of the west vent spatter cones (bottom left) and inlet where lava is entering the lava lake (center right) in Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. A piece of crust, that solidified near the inlet, broke off and was being transported away from the inlet. This photograph was taken on April 26, 2021, at 1:51 p.m.

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake has filled 228 m (748 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 745 m (2444 ft) asl since the eruption began on December 20, 2020.

This zoomed-in photo of the far southwest end of the active lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit was captured on Thursday, April 22, and it illustrates the process by which parts of the lava lake become inactive.

On Thursday, April 22, HVO scientists observed the ongoing eruption at the Kīlauea summit from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u. This photo shows the active western portion of the lava lake, which appears to be in the process of shrinking again, with its northeast (upper-right) and southwest (lower-left) ends crusting over substantially.

A telephoto view of the southern lava lake crust and Halema‘uma‘u crater wall at the summit of Kīlauea. Many rockfalls from the steep and unstable crater walls of Halema‘uma‘u have deposited large boulders onto the stagnant lava surface over the past few months. This photo was taken from the west rim of Halema‘uma‘u looking southeast. USGS photo taken by L.

A view of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawai‘i, showing the active western fissure with rising fumes, the active western portion of the lava lake (lighter colored area in the middle of the photo), and the big island within the lava lake (right).

A telephoto view of the west vent and lava lake inlet within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava erupting from the west vent (upper left) continues to feed into the active lava lake through a wide inlet near the base of the cone (center right).

Lava continues to erupt from the west vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater and feed the active lava lake at Kīlauea summit. Volcanic gas emissions from the west vent (lower left) remain elevated and were last measured on April 14 at about 950 t/d.

A telephoto view of the northwestern point of the main island within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at Kīlauea summit. A rockfall scar (center left) remains after a small collapse of the island was observed by field geologists around 12:43 p.m. HST on April 20, 2021. A sliver of the active lava lake surface is visible at the bottom of this photo.