September 12, 2022 — Panoramic image of Halema‘uma‘u

This panoramic image was taken during an early morning helicopter overflight on September 12, 2022, and shows the current Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea. The blocks that dropped down during the 2018 summit collapse events are visible around the central lake. Sections of Crater Rim Drive, which previously circumnavigated the caldera, can be seen on the left side of the image. The degassing on the lake surface occurs from numerous sources, including the main vent (back center of the image), several small hornitos (front center), and around the margins of the cracks in the lake. USGS image by L. Gallant.