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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – March 12, 2021

By Kīlauea March 12, 2021

Kīlauea's summit eruption continues on the Island of Hawai‘i; the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u erupts lava into the lava lake. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear and PPE—monitor the current eruption from within the closed area of Hawai&lsq

HVO scientists collect detailed data to assess hazards and understand how the eruption is evolving 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.

March 11, 2021 - Halema‘uma‘u lava lake and western fissure area

Color photograph of lava lake and vent
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
View of the lava lake from the southern rim of Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, looking north. The western portion of the lava lake remains active, with small scale crustal foundering events. The white steam from the crater walls is more pronounced due to the heavy rain of the last couple of days. The volcanic gas plume from the western fissure area, visible in the west (left), has a slight blue tinge due to sulfur gases. USGS photo taken by N. Deligne on March 11, 2021.
Color photograph of lava lake and vent
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
View looking to the northwest of western fissure area of Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the Kīlauea summit on March 11, 2021. There is a small incandescent opening at the top of the main (southern) west vent spatter cone (middle-left), and a few smaller incandescent openings at the top of the northern west vent spatter cone (right of the main cone). The northern west vent spatter cone was the source of a lava flow this past weekend. There are now two effusion (eruption) points at the base of the spatter cones, one at the base of each spatter cone. The northern effusion point is the weaker of the two. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

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