Images

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake has filled 225 m (738 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 742 m (2434 ft) asl since the eruption began on December 20, 2020.

A wide view of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. The western vent and perched lava lake remain active in the western portion of the crater (left). Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated, with the most recent measurement being 1,200 tonnes per day on April 1. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on April 2, 2021.

A telephoto view of the eastern Halema‘uma‘u crater wall and portion of the crusted-over lava lake at Kīlauea summit. In this photo, molten lava from below the surface crust has squeezed up between the lava crust and the crater wall as an “ooze-out.” USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on April 2, 2021.

A telephoto image from the ongoing eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Lava continues to enter the lava lake through an inlet near the base of the west vent cone (right). An incandescent opening near the top of the cone (upper center), ejected occasional bursts of spatter.

Telephoto image of the western cone complex of the current eruption in Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea's summit. In the center, a horseshoe-shaped spatter rampart is partially filled in by a more recent spatter cone. The cone has an incandescent opening that spatter is occasionally erupted from.

Welcome to the "The I Am A..." series. This is the sixth video in a series of USGS whiteboard animations that highlight USGS careers.

This March 31, 2021, photo shows a close-up view of the active western fissure of Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i. Near the bottom of the photo, orange incandescence can be seen from two circular vents of the spatter cones.

Photograph of cabinets in the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Sediment Analysis Laboratory contaning the lab's collection of sieves.

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Sediment Analysis Laboratory's Horiba LA-960 laser diffraction unit with slurry sampler (USGS laboratory equipment number WH-SED-Horiba-LA9601).

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Sediment Analysis Laboratory's Beckman Coulter Multisizer 3 (USGS laboratory equipment number WH-SED-BeckmanCoulter-Multisizer1).

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Sediment Analysis Laboratory's Rigaku Miniflex 600 (USGS laboratory equipment number WH-SED-Rigaku-Miniflex1).

Map of Yellowstone’s thermal areas.  Thermally active thermal areas (known to have thermal features with above-background temperatures) are shown in red.  Inactive and cold, degassing thermal areas are shown in blue.  Areas that are unknown or inconclusive in terms of their thermal activity are shown in purple.

Visible and thermal maps of Brimstone Basin (top) and Midway / Lower Geyser Basins (bottom).  The images on the left are high-resolution (1-m pixels) visible images acquired by the NAIP program in 2019.  In these images, the extent of the bright white surface cover is visual evidence for the thermal area, and the yellow thermal area boundaries have been di

This photo shows a close-up of the inlet where lava enters the lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. A lava crust forms around the source of the lava stream, and occasionally fractures and is carried away by the current. Here, this sequence is beginning with a crack developing in the crust. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This photo was taken from the western caldera rim, and looks down up on the western fissure supplying lava into the lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. Incandescence is visible in a small vent opening in the lower left portion of the image. In the upper right, the lava stream at the lake inlet slowly flows eastward. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This photo shows Halema‘uma‘u Crater from the western caldera rim, looking east. Active surface lava is limited to the western portion of the lake, and can be seen as the silvery surface just below the center of the image. The eastern portion of the lake is solidified at the surface, and is visible just above the center. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The western fissure remains active, supplying lava to the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo shows a close-up of the inlet where lava enters the lake. The motion of the lava stream has been slow but continuous. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

A close up of the inlet where lava from the western fissure feeds into the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. The lava stream was sluggish, with the movement barely perceptible with the naked eye. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

The lava lake remains active in Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The surface area of the active lava lake has slowly decreased over the past several months, with the active surface lava now limited to a portion of the west side of lake. The lake remains perched several meters (yards) above its surroundings, bound by a steep levee on most sides.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. The active surface lava lake, shown in this photo, is limited to the western portion of the lake between the western fissure complex (center left) and the main island (right).

This map of Halema‘uma‘u at the summit of Kīlauea shows 20 m (66 ft) contour lines (dark gray) that mark locations of equal elevation above sea level (asl). The map shows that the lava lake has filled 224 m (735 ft) of the crater, to an elevation of 741 m (2431 ft) asl since the eruption began on December 20, 2020.