Images

Preview image for video: shows a lava pond, about 15 m (50 ft) in diameter, on the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Several small spatter sources are active on the pond margin, and release gas from within the pond. Lava pond activity like this is common in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō.

The lava pond at the northeast cone had several spatter sources active on the pond margin, throwing spatter to a height of a few meters (yards).

Several other spatter cones were active in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater today, producing loud jetting and hissing sounds as gas is forced through narrow incandescent openings.

The Kahauale‘a 2 flow has been advancing through forest northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō for the past several months, but last week deflation at the summit of Kīlauea led to a reduction in lava supply and a shutdown to the flow front as active breakouts diminished.

This thermal image shows the front of the Kahauale‘a 2 flow. Summit deflation a week ago caused a reduction in lava supply to the flow and the flow front stalled, and is now inactive. Over the past few days, resumed summit inflation has driven new breakouts (shown by white and yellow colors) on the flow that are behind the stalled flow front.

This thermal image shows the lava pond on the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō from above. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius. The pond is nearly circular, and has surface crust temperatures between 300 and 400 C (570-750 Fahrenheit - orange colors).

View of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater, looking northeast. In the upper left, a line of fume sources marks the path of the lava tube feeding the Kahauale‘a 2 flow.

Closer view of the northeast spatter cone on the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. Deflation last week resulted in the top of this small cone to collapse, and with resumed inflation a lava pond has filled the new pit. The northeast spatter cone is also the vent area for the Kahauale‘a 2 lava flow, and the path of the lava tube is marked by the two incandescent skylights.

The lava pond at the northeast cone had several spatter sources active on the pond margin, throwing spatter to a height of a few meters (yards).

A clear view of the lava pond at the northeast cone, on the east rim of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. View is towards the northeast. Several small spatter sources are active on the pond margin.

Several other spatter cones were active in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater today, producing loud jetting and hissing sounds as gas is forced through narrow incandescent openings.

The summit lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater dropped slightly last week in response to summit deflation, but has returned to higher levels with resumed inflation. Fluctuations like this have been common during the summit eruption. The lake is currently at a level that has been typical for the past year.

Colors ranging from pink to purple indicate the water depth around the islands, while shades of gray show land topography above sea level. Red areas on the Island of Hawai‘i indicate lava flows erupted within the past 200 years.

Preview image for video: The lava lake in the Overlook crater, within Halema‘uma‘u Crater at Kīlauea's summit, undergoes frequent periods of spattering. The spattering is normally at the lake margins, and the surface crust often flows towards, and is consumed at, the spattering source.

Snowy owl visitor to CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent in the Arctic Ocean

Mount Rainier volcano looms over Puyallup Valley, near Orting, Washington.

A photograph of Mount St. Helens, as viewed from Elk Rock on January 18, 2014.

Mount Rainier volcano looms over Puyallup Valley, near Orting, Washington.

Scientists conduct a stream channel cross-section survey of the Toutle River on the north side of Mount St. Helens (view to the southwest).

Colors ranging from red to purple indicate the water depth around the Island of Hawai‘i, while shades of gray show land topography above sea level. Red shows lava flows erupted over the past 200 years. The Puna Ridge represents the submarine extension of Kīlauea's east rift zone.

The Kahauale‘a 2 flow remains active northeast of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, with the flow front this week consisting of a narrow finger that has reached 7.5 km (4.7 miles) northeast of the vent on Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō. The flow front has cut a narrow swath through the forest, and is igniting numerous small fires.