Videos

Video of fissure 3 on Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone erupting during the morning of December 1, 2022. Fissure 3 continues to be the dominant of two erupting fissures on Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone.

An overflight on November 30, 2022, provided aerial views of the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. On the ground, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists deploy a new webcam and measure fissure 3. USGS video by K. Mulliken. 

This video, taken during an early morning overflight on 30 November 2022, shows fissure 3, the dominant source of activity. The lava fountains are 20-25 meters in height (65-82 feet) and are feeding a lava flow that is moving to the northeast at ~130 meters per hour (0.08 miles per hour).

The eruption on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa continues. This video shows the dominant fissure 3 remains active and is supplying lava to the flow advancing north. Taken on November 30, 2022.

Video showing fissures erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of November 29, 2022. Fountains at this area (fissure 3) were measured up to 25 m (82 ft) in height. 

An ‘a‘ā lava flow on the northeast flank of Mauna Loa. This lava flow is several meters thick and moving to the northeast. 'A'ā flows have a rough rubbly surface composed of broken lava blocks called clinkers. The clinkery surface covers a massive dense core, which is the most active part of the flow.

Video showing fissures erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of November 29, 2022. Fountains at this area (fissure 3) were measured up to 25 m (82 ft) in height. 

This video was taken by HVO field crews on the morning of November 29, 2022, and shows lava fountaining from a fissure vent high on Mauna Loa's northeast rift zone. Fissure heights of 20-25 meters (65-82 feet) were recorded at the time of the video.

The eruption on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa Volcano continues. Today, the dominant fountain at fissure 3 was supplying lava to a flow advancing north of the rift zone.

This video shows one of the fissures active on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. At approximately 11 a.m. on November 29, 2022, the fountains at this location were at measured 35-40 meters (115-148 ft) in height.

Video showing thermal imagery from the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption which began around 11:30pm HST.

An overflight at approximately 8:30 a.m. on October 28, 2022, provided aerial views of Mauna Loa Volcano, which is not erupting. This video contains several clips from the overflight, shown at 2X speed.

2021 was an interesting year for deformation at both Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. At Kīlauea, 2021 provided a glimpse of what the future might hold as the system recovers from the large collapses that accompanied the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption.

Mauna Loa is an active volcano, though it has been quiet for almost 30 years. An eruption is not imminent, but patterns of ground deformation on Mauna Loa over the past year may indicate that new, previously unobserved processes may have occurred. Mauna Loa lava flows have the capacity to disrupt lives and commerce throughout the Island of Hawai‘i.

The last year has been a busy one for seismologists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Earthquake activity at Kīlauea summit has varied over the past year, with upticks in a variety of seismic signals providing clues to the start of the December 2020 and September 2021 Kīlauea summit eruptions.

This video shows a typical day on Mauna Loa, captured from a new webcam looking south towards the volcano. The field of view covers the summit region and much of the Northeast Rift Zone.

Because Mauna Loa has been quiet for almost 30 years, residents may not be aware that Mauna Loa is an active volcano. When Mauna Loa erupts, it is capable of disrupting lives and commerce throughout the Island of Hawai‘i. What can we learn from Mauna Loa’s past eruptions?

Stormy weather moved through the islands over the past day, producing snow at the higher elevations of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. This sequence shows the webcam images at the summit of Mauna Loa, and the variable weather throughout the day.

In 2019, the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa was elevated from “NORMAL” to “ADVISORY” due to increased seismicity and deformation at the volcano. This alert level does not mean an eruption is imminent, but it is a fact that Mauna Loa, which has erupted 33 times since 1843 (most recently in 1984), will erupt again. What will you do when it does?

This video shows Moku‘āweoweo, the caldera at the summit of Mauna Loa, during a routine overflight. The flight path goes from northeast to southwest, and begins at North Pit crater before crossing over the main caldera floor. In the southwest portion of the caldera floor, the 1940 and 1949 cones can be seen.

This timelapse sequence of webcam images over a 24-hour period shows a typical day at the summit of Mauna Loa. The webcam (MLcam) is located on the northeast rim of Moku‘āweoweo, Mauna Loa's summit caldera. This sequence begins in the dark, with the moon rising (white dot at left in images), then brightens as the sun rises.