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Lower East Rift Zone lava flows entering the ocean have built a lava delta over 875 acres in size, but no active ocean entries were observed by HVO geologists on this morning's overflight. View to the southwest.
The fissure 8 lava channel (center) and levee (foreground), looking toward the northwest. Loose rubble and Pele's hair (lower right) are strewn across the levee surface.
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). Limited UAS flights into this hazardous area are conducted with permission and coordination with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Scientists examine the UAS data in detail to understand how the collapse area is evolving and to assess hazards at Kīlauea's summit, all of which is shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers.