Aerial photo of inactive lava lake—Halema‘uma‘u, Kīlauea summit

This aerial photo of the inactive lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea was captured during a routine helicopter overflight by HVO geologists on Thursday, July 22, 2021. Here, the lava lake is viewed from the northeast, with the oldest parts of the lake surface—the first to crust over—visible on the near side, and the most recently active areas in the far end. Also visible are the high crater walls that tower over the south side of the lake (upper-left). For scale, the very top of this cliff is standing approximately 355 m (1165 ft) above the surface of the lava lake. USGS photo taken by M. Zoeller.