Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Image Galleries

By Kīlauea

A select set of image galleries.

Collection of photographs from the 1983–2018 Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Eruption, on Kīlauea's East Rift Zone. Descriptions of the photographs offer a deeper view into the activity as it has progressed through the course of the eruption.

Lava fountains erupt along fissures in the first week of the Pu‘u ‘... ‘A‘ā flow from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō advances Aerial views of ‘A‘ā lava flows in Royal Gardens subdivision, Kīlauea Lava fountain erupts from the growing Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent during eruptiv... Channelized flow from Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Lava fountain reaches as high as 445 m (1,460 ft) during episode 30... Asymmetric cone of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō reaches maximum height of 255 m above ... Lava fountains erupt from fissures uprift of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō during early...

This collection of photographs includes archival photographs from the 1969-1974 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. Descriptions of the photographs offer an expanded narrative of the activity over the course of the five year eruption.

Map showing area covered by lava flows of Mauna Ulu eruption. Incandescent gash surrounded by day-old lava flow is young, 1 day o... Only segment of fissure system active on first day of eruption Lava fountain of June 25, 1969, This fountain lasted a little over ... Pool of lava filling a basin at the summit of Mauna Ulu, July 29, 1970 Close-up of right side of lava pool shown in previous image a few s... Same view as in previous image, but about 20 seconds later. Now lav... Spattering fountain 8 m (25 ft) high at Mauna Ulu on Aug. 15, 1970 Small spattering fountain on Aug. 16, 1970 Typical vent activity in the summer and fall 1969 high fountaining East end of 'Alae Crater after catastrophic draining on Aug. 4, 1970 West end of 'Alae Crater, showing exhumed mezzanine, after catastro... Today is the 40th Birthday of the Wondrous Mauna Ulu Eruption Graben that drained some of the lava out of 'Alae on Aug. 4, 1969. Tallest fountain of the eruption, 540 m (1770 ft) on Sep. 6, 1970 ‘Alae Crater filled by lava flow erupted on Sep. 6-7, 1969. Lava sp... Dome fountain of episode 10, Oct. 10-13, 1969. Lava fountain of Oct. 20, 1970 Falling pumice from high fountains killed vegetation for many hundr... Tilted slabs of welded spatter blanketed by pumice and spatter erup... Fallout on flank of Pu'u Huluhulu from inclined fountain Oct. 20, 1970 Wide fountain of episode 12, the last high fountain of the Mauna Ul... ‘Ālo‘i Crater filling Apr. 9, 1970. Lava is both erupting from a fi... A burping driblet spire (hornito) in 'Alae Crater on May 20, 1970. Two unusually large driblet spires in ‘Ālo‘i Crater on May 21, 1971 Skylight in lava tube carrying lava from ‘Alae crater onto to Kīlau... Littoral explosion formed by lava entering the ocean from Mauna Ulu... Mauna Ulu trench, w/crater in background. Looking west, May 25, 1972 East end of summit crater of Mauna Ulu, from north rim of crater, S... Lava flowing from the summit crater of Mauna Ulu eastward into a po... Spattering in Mauna Ulu crater and vent B along trench Feb. 28, 1973 Lava pours into deep pit of Makaopuhi Crater from a fissure system ... Perched lava lake above former ‘Alae Crater, Sep. 8, 1972. Summit o... Viewing platform for visitors on rim of Mauna Ulu. Mar. 22, 1974 Lava cascading from east pit to west pit, Pauahi Crater, Nov. 11, 1... Perched lava pond between Mauna Ulu and Pu'u Huluhulu, Jan 25, 1975 View from Pu‘u Huluhulu of renewed shield growth, Jan 30, 1974.

Photographs and graphics associated with the 1959 eruption of Kīlauea Iki at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i.

Fissures erupting in Kīlauea Iki on Nov. 14, 1959, Kīlauea Single lava fountain sends flows into east crater of Kīlauea Iki Lava cascades into east crater of Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea Vol, Hawai‘i Lava fountain reached heights of 320 m (1,050 ft) as lava discharge... V-shaped lava fountain, Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Kīlauea Iki lava fountain from HVO Tephra covers Crater Rim Drive downwind of fountain, Kīlauea Lava fountain during 3rd episode of Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea Lava fountain shimmers across lava lake in Kīlauea Iki Crater, Kīlauea Early morning view of lava fountain, Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Lava fountain peak height, Kīlauea Iki eruption, Kīlauea Highest lava fountain during eruption of Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea Lava drains back into vent after final episode of lava fountaining,... Lava fountain in early morning, Kīlauea Iki, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Magma budget during 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption, Kīlauea Volc., Hawai‘i

This collection of photographs and graphics from the 1924 eruption from Halema‘uma‘u Crater at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i. These images include expanded descriptions that narrate the eruptive events and accounts of people who experienced the activity.

Area Affected by Earthquakes at Kapoho, Hawai‘i, in Apr., 1925 Kapoho, Hawai‘i residents in lower Puna await evacuation during sei... Large crack across road near Koa‘e, Hawai‘i widens over a week. Railroad tracks buckled at fault boundary at Kapoho, Hawai‘i Earthquake damage on road at Kapoho, Hawai‘i. Subsidence immerses coconut trees in ocean at Kapele Lagoon, Puna Dust cloud caused by the collapse of the Halemaumau crater floor at... First explosion clouds from Halemaumau, Kīlauea 1925 Boulder ejected from Halemaumau, at Kīlauea, May 11, 1925 Explosion at Halema‘uma‘u as seen from Uēkahuna Bluff, at Kīlauea, ... Park superintendent Thomas Boles after a narrow escape at Kīlauea, ... Explosion from Halemaumau at Kīlauea May 18, 1924. Detail of explosion from Halemaumau at Kīlauea as viewed from Uēkah... Spectators flee explosion from Halemaumau at Kīlauea, May 18, 1925 T.A. Jaggar's dog, Teddy, stands where an injured spectator was fou... Eight ton block ejected from Halema‘uma‘u during explosion at Kīlau... Airplane landing field at Kīlauea strewn with blocks from several e... Ejected tephra from Halemaumau at Kīlauea, May 31, 1925 Spectators view another explosion cloud from the Volcano House Hote... Thomas Jaggar examines a 12 ton block ejected from Halemaumau onto ... Scientists from HVO examine paw prints in ash on the caldera floor ... Children pose with 8 ton ballistic block at Kīlauea, Hawai‘i.

Collection of photographs demonstrating the hazards associated with lava entering the ocean. 

Active lava delta on SE coast of Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Lava spilling over sea cliff builds new lava delta, Kīlauea Early lava delta growth along steep submarine slope. Loose lava fra... Growing lava delta. As lava flows and loose lava fragments build fo... Active lava delta collapse can trigger explosions that hurl blobs o... Lava delta collapse triggers explosion and scalding wave, Kīlauea Explosion caused by collapse of active lava delta, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Active lava deltas are unstable, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Large cracks in active lava delta, Kīlauea Tephra-jet explosion at leading edge of an active lava delta, Kīlauea Tephra-jet explosion, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Bubble burst explosion, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Lava bubble burst explosion, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Lava bubble burst explosion on active lava delta, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Cross-section of littoral lava fountain, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Littoral lava fountain on active lava delta, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Active lava delta on south coast of Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Active lava delta, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Nighttime view of tephra-jet explosion, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i Hazards associated with the Kamokuna ocean entry an ongoing concern