Images

Aerial view of fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 4, 2022. USGS image by L. DeSmither. 

Aerial view of fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 4, 2022. Lava fountaining at the vent has been approximately 100 feet (33 m) tall over the past day, depositing fragments of volcanic material in the area near the vent.  USGS image by L. DeSmither. 

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its seventh full day. One active fissure, fissure 3, is feeding a lava flow downslope to the north.

This telephoto image of spatter being thrown from the fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa was taken on the morning of December 4, 2022. Sustained fountain heights of 141 feet (43 meters) with bursts reaching over 232 feet in height (71 meters) were measured. USGS image by L. Gallant. 

Aerial view of fissure 3 eruption lava channel on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 4, 2022. Fissure 3 has produced several lava channels that are winding their way down the northeast slope of Mauna Loa, coalescing into a single flow front.  As of 7 a.m. today, December 4, the flow front was about 2.3 mi (3.6 km) from the Daniel K.

A view of Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone fissure 3 taken from the southwest by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crews on the morning of December 4, 2022. Sustained fountain heights of 141 feet (43 meters) with bursts reaching over 232 feet in height (71 meters) were measured. The flanks of Mauna Kea can be seen on the left side of the photograph.

Aerial image of fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa, at an elevation of approximately 11,500 feet (3,510 m) above sea level. On December 4, 2022, the new cone around fissure 3 was measured at 92-95 feet (28-29 m) tall. USGS image.  

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has deployed a number of webcams to aid in monitoring the ongoing eruption of Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone eruption. This image shows two webcams, which are monitoring the fissure 3 lava channel. USGS image by H. Dietterich. 

Telephoto image of spatter being thrown from the fissure 3 on Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone during the morning of December 4, 2022. Sustained fountain heights of 141 feet (43 meters) with bursts reaching over 232 feet in height (71 meters) were measured. USGS image by L. Gallant.

An HVO scientist installs a webcamera to monitor the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. The livestream is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnjGqn1K9ZQ. USGS image by M. Patrick. 

Helicopter overflights on November 30, December 1, and December 2, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. These maps show evolution of the lava flow from fissure 3 over those days.

View of the Fissure 3 erupting high on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 3, 2022. The eruption is generating a volcanic gas plume that is lofting high and vertically into the atmosphere before being blown to the west at high altitude, generating vog in areas downwind.

A geologist documents fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. In the field, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists measure the lava fountain and cone heights, channel widths, and lava channel dynamics. USGS image by J. Schmith. 

A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas specialist uses a FTIR spectrometer on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. The FTIR measures the composition of the gases being emitted during the eruption by measuring how the plume absorbs infrared energy.

Image of a webcam deployed to monitor the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. See this webcam for all Mauna Loa webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/webcams. USGS image by K. Mulliken. 

This map shows areas of surface change as determined through a comparison of satellite radar images acquired on November 16, 2022 and December 2 at 6:13 a.m. HST.

The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its sixth full day. One active fissure, fissure 3, is feeding a lava flow downslope to the north.

Taken from the intersection of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway and the old saddle road, USGS scientists take laser rangefinder measurements of the main flow front of fissure 3 from Mauna Loa’s Northeast Rift Zone eruption to determine where it is relative to the highway. USGs photo by J. Ball.

The 2022 Mauna Loa lava flow crossed the road leading to the Mauna Loa Observatory within the first 24 hours of the start of the eruption. On December 2, USGS monitoring field crews visited the eastern margin where the lava flow covered the road. The plume from fissure 3 is visible in the background. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

On the morning of December 2, 2022, Mauna Loa's ongoing Northeast Rift Zone eruption was primarily active from fissure 3. The cone walls around the fissure are approximately 48 m (157 ft) tall at their highest point, shown in this view looking to the south up at the fissure. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Mauna Loa’s Fissure 3 gas plume as seen from the Saddle Road on December 2, 2022. Winds were from the northeast at the time the photo was taken, and spread the plume over much of the island to the south and west of Mauna Loa summit. USGS photo by P. Nadeau.