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Photo and Video Chronology - Kīlauea - December 8, 2021

By Kīlauea December 8, 2021

The ongoing eruption at Kīlauea's summit began at 3:21 p.m. HST on September 29, 2021. Lava activity is currently confined within Halema'uma'u crater, in the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. 

Color photograph of lava lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Red hot lava overturns the crust of the western end of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. These overturns are often seen along the edge of the lake by the 1-meter-high (3 ft) rim surrounding the active surface area. USGS image by J. Schmith.
Color photograph of eruption
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
On the sunny morning of December 3, at around 11 a.m. HST, the western vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater hissed with steam from large parts of the 19-meter-high (62 feet) cone after a rainfall earlier in the morning. Although the lava inside the cone was not visible, HVO field crews observed that lava continued to flow into the lava lake from the east side of the vent. A steam trail behind the vent also showed the trace of a crusted over lava flow that met the lake just south of the cone. USGS image by J. Schmith.
Color photograph of volcanic vent
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
This zoomed-in view of the western fissure within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, was captured on December 7, 2021, through the lens of a laser rangefinder. After an eruptive pause in recent days, lava effusion resumed on December 6 with the western fissure now feeding the lava lake via a new open channel on the south (lower-left) side of the fissure's spatter cone. Crusted-over lava tubes remain active on the eastern and northern (right) sides of the cone. USGS scientists measured the cone to be standing 20 m (66 ft) above the surface of the nearby active lava lake. USGS image by M. Zoeller.

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