Videos

This video compilation shows several clips of episode 23 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption, which was active from 4:15 p.m. HST to 10:25 p.m. on May 25. Both the north and south vents in Halemaʻumaʻu erupted during episode 23. Lava fountains from the north vent reached heights of more than 1,000 feet (300 meters).

Kīlauea summit livestream camera viewers have recently observed flames within the vents in Halemaʻumaʻu. These flames, which are often a yellowish orange color, result from hydrogen gas burning in air. Hydrogen is a minor component of volcanic gas released from the hot magma below, and it can sometimes be ignited causing the flames observed recently.

This video shows a clip from a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring helicopter overflight on Tuesday, April 22, when high fountaining was occurring from the south vent at the summit of Kīlauea during episode 18 of the ongoing eruption. Other clips show activity captured during a field visit to the south rim of the caldera.

This timelapse video shows approximately 1 hour of activity compressed into 38 seconds, and covers a period of intermittent activity in the south vent the morning of April 20.

This video shows clips from a helicopter overflight and a field visit by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists to the crater rim to observe the lava fountaining in episode 17 of the ongoing summit eruption of Kīlauea.

This timelapse video shows lava fountaining during episode 16 of the ongoing summit eruption at Kīlauea. The fountain height rose rapidly during the onset and reached heights of about 300 meters (1000 feet). The fountain was relatively stable, but sometimes shows variations in inclination, presumably due to changes in vent geometry or wind direction.

Aerial video of Kīlauea summit eruption episode 16 lava fountain and its lava flow on April 1, 2025, taken during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring overflight at approximately noon. The lava fountain was reaching heights of more than 650 ft (200 m) at times and feeding a lava flow that as of noon on April 1 reached about 2,300 ft (700 m) from its vent.

This timelapse video shows lava fountaining during episode 15 of the summit eruption at Kīlauea volcano. The sequence starts with small filling-draining cycles in the vent that abruptly shift into major fountaining. The inclination of the fountain changes repeatedly, depositing lava in varying directions around the vent.

Videos of activity during Episode 15 of the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea volcano in Halemaʻumaʻu crater. The first clip was taken on March 25, 2025, when the north vent within Halema‘uma‘u crater periodically hosted low-level dome fountains during periods of cyclic lava effusion and drainback.

Lava fountain activity during episode 15 of the Halema‘uma‘u eruption at the summit of Kīlauea. Fountain heights reached up to about 1,000 feet (305 meters) during episode 15. Vigorous lava fountaining feeds lava flows on the floor of Halemaʻumaʻu crater.  

This timelapse video shows the full sequence of activity during episode 14 of the ongoing summit eruption of Kīlauea. The activity began with many hours of filling-draining cycles at both the north and south vents - these are periodic rise-and-fall cycles in the lava column that accompany low-level spattering and small overflows.

Lava fountaining in the southwest portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater from episode 14 of the Kīlauea summit eruption on March 20, 2025. The south fountain was dominant around midday, and supplied lava into a long, narrow channel that fed into a circular perched lava pond. 

This video shows images collected by a timelapse camera on the south rim of the summit caldera at Kīlauea, capturing the lava fountains during episodes 1-13 of the ongoing summit eruption. Images during the quiet intervals between fountaining episodes have been removed. The camera position was adjusted several times due to the rising height of the lava fountains.

This video, captured on March 19, 2025, just prior to episode 14 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halemʻamaʻu, shows gas-pistoning cycles in the north vent. The video has been sped up 100x, and about one hour is shown in 40 seconds. During these gas-piston events, lava rises within the north vent and emits only a faint, hazy gas plume.

This video is shown at 100x speed and captures several cycles of filling and draining in the lava pond at the northern vent at the summit of Kīlauea on March 19, 20-25, during episode 14 of the ongoing eruption in Halema‘uma‘u. Each cycle begins with low fountaining and lava gradually refilling the pond above the conduit.

Staff at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory made observations of lava fountaining during episode 12 of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu, at Kīlauea summit. Both the north and south vents were active during the evening of March 4, 2025, when these videos were taken.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory conducted a monitoring helicopter overflight of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu, at Kīlauea summit, at 10 a.m. HST on March 5, 2025. Episode 12 of the eruption was still active at this point in time, though it ended later that morning at approximately 10:37 a.m. HST.

Only weak vent activity was observed on the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitoring helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit at 8 a.m. HST on March 4, 2025. Weak effusive activity continued throughout the day until around 2 p.m., when fountaining started with more vigor, producing a larger flow across the crater floor. 

Views of episode 10 of the Kīlauea summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u during a sunrise field shift on February 20, 2025. HVO scientists measured fountain heights of about 45-50 m (148-164 feet) on average with frequent pulses reaching 60-65 meters (197-213 feet). Episode 10 started the evening of February 19, 2025, around 8:22 p.m.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory staff conducted a monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit at 12:30 p.m. on February 12, 2025, following the end of episode 9 of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu. A patchwork of lava flows of difference colors and different ages cover the floor of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists visited the Kīlauea eruption site at Haleaʻumaʻu the morning of February 11, 2025, just prior to the start of episode 9 of the eruption. From the caldera rim, they captured this video of the north vent, where the occasional spattering over the day prior had constructed a small cone within the vent.