Videos

Inset of the Hawaiian Islands shows the location of the main frame (red polygon). The main animation frame shows earthquakes detected by the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, from April 30, 2018, to August 7, 2018, shown as red circles and sized according to magnitude—the largest of which is the M6.9 earthquake, on May 4, 2018, at 12:32 p.m. HST (22:32 UTC).

The 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption marked the first time the federal government used Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to assist in an eruption response in the United States.

The 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption marked the first time the federal government used Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to assist in an eruption response in the United States.

This 3D model of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater was created from thermal images during an overflight of the cone. The deepest portion of the crater is about 320 meters (1050 feet) below the crater floor that existed prior to April 30.

This 3D model of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō's crater was created from thermal images during an overflight of the cone. The deepest portion of the crater is about 320 meters (1050 feet) below the crater floor that existed prior to April 30.

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) team completed its mission at Kīlauea Volcano's summit, mapping changes within the caldera. Since August 4, 2018, the number of earthquakes at the summit have decreased and the rate of subsidence has stabilized.

A closer view of the small cone forming on the floor of crater within fissure 8 today (Sept. 5). By this morning, bits of molten lava emitted from the cone every few seconds had built it up to an estimated height of around 3-4 m (about 10-13 ft).

On September 4-7, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems team flew several missions documenting changes within fissure 8 on Kīlauea's lower East Rift Zone. On September 4, lava erupted on the crater floor within the vent, building a small cone on the floor and creating a flow that did not extend beyond the vent walls.

An Unmanned Aircraft Systems overflight yesterday (September 4, 2018) showed a small cone on the floor of the crater within fissure 8. The cone formed as lava erupted from an opening on the surface of the flow that covers the crater floor.

During an overflight of fissure 8 this morning, HVO geologists observed low-level spattering on the new pad of lava within the cone. Slow-moving lava had just barely entered the spillway, but was not advancing down the channel.

During Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption, lava-flow maps were generated on a near-daily basis and published on the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory webpage.

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) team circumnavigates the crater rim at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, collecting data for digital elevation models that document summit changes. The volume change, from early May 2018 to present, is over 825 million cubic meters (1 billion cubic yards). The vertical collapse of the crater floor is more than 500 m (1600 ft).

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) team circumnavigates the crater rim at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, collecting data for digital elevation models that document summit changes. The volume change, from early May 2018 to present, is over 825 million cubic meters (1 billion cubic yards). The vertical collapse of the crater floor is more than 500 m (1600 ft).

Title: What on Earth is going on at Kilauea Volcano?

• First significant summit explosions in nearly a century
• Largest summit collapse volume since at least 1800
• Voluminous fissure eruptions feeding channelized lava flow
• Unparalleled new opportunities for understanding the volcanic system

An Unmanned Aircraft Systems overflight of fissure 8 on August 21, 2018, showed no incandescence within the cinder cone. Minor amounts of gases, primarily steam, rose from the north wall of the cinder cone and from areas along the lower East Rift Zone. The interior walls of the fissure 8 cone and lava channel are slumping downward and inward.

Changes at the summit of Kīlauea between April 14 and August 20, 2018, were captured by a USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory camera. This time-lapse series includes roughly one image per day. The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u is visible in April, with overflows onto the caldera floor on April 23.

An Unmanned Aircraft Systems overflight of fissure 8 on August 21, 2018, showed no incandescence within the cinder cone. Minor amounts of gases, primarily steam, rose from the north wall of the cinder cone and from areas along the lower East Rift Zone.

Changes at the summit of Kīlauea between April 14 and August 20, 2018, were captured by a USGS–Hawaiian Volcano Observatory camera. This time-lapse series includes roughly one image per day. The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u is visible in April, with overflows onto the caldera floor on April 23.

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) team assessed conditions at the fissure 8 cone and upper lava channel on August 17, 2018. At the time of the flight, the lava pond within the cone had crusted over with no observed incandescence.

This 3-dimensional computer model shows the structure of the fissure 8 cone on Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone. The model was created from thermal images acquired during a helicopter overflight on August 15, 2018. The cone is currently about 30 m (100 ft) tall with a broad base.

Lava continues to enter the ocean near the Isaac Hale Beach Park on Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone. Although lava output from fissure 8 remains low, the ocean entry was still active during HVO's helicopter overflight on August 9, 2018.