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Photo and Video Chronology – Mauna Loa – December 3, 2022

Mauna Loa Eruption Webpage
By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory December 3, 2022

Mauna Loa's Northeast Rift Zone eruption continues. There is a visible gas plume from the erupting fissure fountains and lava flows.

Mauna Loa update: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/volcano-updates

County of Hawaii Civil Defense Agency: https://hawaii-county-civil-defense-agency-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/

Most recent eruption map: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/december-2-2022-mauna-loa-eruption-map 

New webcam: [M7cam] Live Image of Mauna Loa's Northeast Flank from Mauna Kea; view is to the south [M7cam]. See https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo/m7cam-mauna-loa-northeast-flank   

Color photograph of volcanic vent
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View of the Fissure 3 erupting high on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa the morning of December 3, 2022. The eruption is generating a volcanic gas plume that is lofting high and vertically into the atmosphere before being blown to the west at high altitude, generating vog in areas downwind. Vog information can be found at https://vog.ivhhn.org/. USGS image by F. Trusdell.
Color map of lava flow temperature
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A helicopter overflight on December 2, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. This map only shows activity from Fissure 3 on the Northeast Rift Zone, which is feeding a lava flow to the north. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.
color map of lava flow temperature
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Helicopter overflights on November 30, December 1, and December 2, 2022, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected of the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. These maps show evolution of the lava flow from fissure 3 over those days. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.
Color photograph of lava channel
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Mauna Loa's ongoing eruption has generated channels of lava close to the vents on the Northeast Rift Zone. This section of the lava channel, viewed here looking across the flow (the vent is to the right off the image) on the morning of December 2, 2022, is approximately 20 m (66 ft) wide. USGS photo by K. Lynn.
Color photograph of volcanic vent
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On the morning of December 2, 2022, Mauna Loa's ongoing Northeast Rift Zone eruption was primarily active from fissure 3. The cone walls around the fissure are approximately 48 m (157 ft) tall at their highest point, shown in this view looking to the south up at the fissure. USGS photo by K. Lynn.
Color photograph of volcanic vent
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Mid-day on December 2, 2022, Mauna Loa's ongoing eruption on the Northeast Rift Zone was active primarily from fissure 3. This view is looking to the northeast (viewed from uprift) during a monitoring eruption monitoring overflight. USGS photo by K. Lynn.
Color graphic showing ground deformation
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This radar interferogram spans before the eruption (November 16, 2022) until December 2 at 6:13 a.m. HST. Colored fringes denote areas of ground deformation, with more fringes indicating more deformation.  Each color cycle represents 1.5 cm (0.6 in) of ground motion toward or away from the satellite (the sense of motion depends on the sense of color change).  The complex patterns indicate overall deflation of the summit area by a maximum of more than 50 cm (20 in) as magma has flowed out of the main magma reservoir beneath the caldera to feed the eruption.  There are also areas of uplift and spreading where magma reached the surface.  Those areas are through the main part of the caldera, just SW of the caldera, and NE of the caldera into the NE Rift Zone.  These data confirm that magma did not enter the SW Rift Zone and remained in the SW part of the summit region.  The deformation in the NE Rift Zone indicates more than 50 cm (20 in) of uplift and spreading, although the image cannot resolve the deformation that is closest to the eruptive fissures themselves, where the ground motion was probably greater.  The Saddle Road is of the image to the north.  Data are from the COSMO-SlyMed constellation of radar satellites, provided by the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) through the Hawaiʻi Supersite.
Scientist documenting eruption
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A geologist documents fissure 3 erupting on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. In the field, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists measure the lava fountain and cone heights, channel widths, and lava channel dynamics. USGS image by J. Schmith. 
Lava erupting from fissure
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Video thumbnail use.
Scientist documenting eruption
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A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas specialist uses a FTIR spectrometer on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. The FTIR measures the composition of the gases being emitted during the eruption by measuring how the plume absorbs infrared energy. The plume being generated by the ongoing eruption is sulfur-dioxide (SO2) rich, but also contains water vapor, carbon dioxide, and halogen gases such as HCl and HF. USGS image by M. Patrick. 
lava flow
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for video thumbnail
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Video of lava fountaining at fissure 3, on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa.
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Video of the lava channel issuing from fissure 3, on the Northeast Rift Zone of Mauna Loa. 
Color photograph of webcam monitoring eruption
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Image of a webcam deployed to monitor the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. See this webcam for all Mauna Loa webcams: https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna-loa/webcams. USGS image by K. Mulliken. 
Color map showing ground surface change
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This map shows areas of surface change as determined through a comparison of satellite radar images acquired on November 16, 2022 and December 2 at 6:13 a.m. HST. Bluish colors show areas of major change and indicate lava flows that were active during the time spanned.  Pink and yellow colors show areas of no surface change.  The image depicts lava flow activity in the SW summit region, within Mokuʻāweoweo (Mauna Loa’s summit caldera), and along the NE Rift Zone, where the eruption has localized at Fissure 3.  Though the SW activity appears to have occurred outside of Mokuʻāweoweo, the structural definition of Mauna Loa's summit region is larger than the main topographic caldera and is approximated by the dashed white line. These data will be used by HVO geologists to precisely map the areas covered by lava flows during the first few days of the eruption, since they provide high-resolution and comprehensive views that are not available from other data.  Stay tuned for the forthcoming HVO map!  Data are from the COSMO-SkyMed constellation of radar satellites, provided by the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) through the Hawaiʻi Supersite.
color photograph of scientist installing camera
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An HVO scientist installs a webcamera to monitor the Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa. The livestream is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnjGqn1K9ZQ. USGS image by M. Patrick. 
Color map of volcanic eruption
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The Northeast Rift Zone eruption of Mauna Loa has continued into its sixth full day. One active fissure, fissure 3, is feeding a lava flow downslope to the north. Webcam and satellite views overnight allowed USGS analysts to accurately map some of the most active flows, displayed in red here, along with older flows further uprift, in part of Mokuʻāweoweo Caldera, and in the upper summit region southwest of the caldera. Elsewhere the progression of the flows is marked by points for the flow fronts, mapped by HVO field crews.  

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