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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – June 1, 2021

By Kīlauea June 1, 2021

Kīlauea's summit is no longer erupting; lava supply to the Halemaʻumaʻu lava lake has ceased and sulfur dioxide emissions have decreased to near pre-eruption background levels. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear—monitor for new changes from within the closed area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park with NPS permission.

HVO scientists collect detailed data to assess hazards and understand evolving processes at Kīlauea's summit, all of which are shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers. Access to this hazardous area is by permission from, and in coordination with, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

 

May 28, 2021 — Kīlauea

View of west vent area in Halema‘uma‘u - Kīlauea, May 28 2021

Color photograph of solidified lava lake surface
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
View looking to the east of the western part of the now inactive lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, taken on May 28th. The west vent area is at the bottom. The glowing vent area in the photo taken in the evening on May 24th is visible in the bottom right, with a white rim at the top of the now inactive vent. Part of the main island is visible in the top third of the photo. USGS photo taken by N. Deligne.
Color map of lava lake at volcano summit
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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 filled 229 m (752 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 747 m (2450 ft) asl, from the beginning of the eruption on December 20, 2020, through May 13, 2021. Over this period, a total of 41 million cubic meters (11 billion gallons) of lava was erupted into the crater, filling approximately 5 percent of the volume that collapsed within the caldera during the 2018 eruption. The graphic at the bottom shows topographic profiles from west to east across the caldera before 2018, shortly after 2018, and as of May 13, 2021, along with the 2019-2020 Halema‘uma‘u water lake. The last activity on the lava lake surface was observed on May 23 and on May 26, 2021, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory lowered the Volcano Alert Level for ground-based hazards from WATCH to ADVISORY and the Aviation Color Code from ORANGE to YELLOW. USGS map.

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