Images

This nearly-vertical thermal image, taken from a helicopter, shows the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u. The lava level has been variable over time, and today it was near the level of the deep inner ledge, which is approximately 70 meters (230 feet) below the floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater.

USGS and INGEOMINAS colleagues at an lahar-detection (Acoustic Flow Monitor or AFM) station on the west flank of Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia. View is up the glacial valley toward the summit area.

Another look at the rough, spiny breakouts at the flow front today.

The flows active on the coastal plain for the last month and a half have entered Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park over the past day. These flows were just 55 meters (180 ft) within the Park boundary, and 900 meters (0.6 miles) from the ocean.

A few hundred meters (yards) up from the flow front, pāhoehoe breakouts of a more fluid appearance were abundant.

Flows are still advancing slowly on the coastal plain, and were 1.3 km (0.8 miles) from the ocean today. Although overall flow field advancement was sluggish, one small area had a brief surge of activity during today's field mapping. A portion of an inflated flow margin gave way due to increasing fluid pressure from within, sending out an impressive gush of lava.

At the front of the surge, the thin surface crust rolls up as it advances, creating a ropey pāhoehoe texture.

From the top of the inflated flow margin, the source of the surge can be seen.

Preview image for video: A small lava pond, set within a collapse pit, has been active in the eastern portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater for the past several weeks. At the east margin of the lava pond, lava sinks back into the system, with frequent spatter bursts sourced from this downwelling spot.

Flows were spread across a broad expanse on the coastal plain today, and continue to slowly advance towards the ocean, but have made only minor progress over the past week. This image combines a thermal image with a normal photograph, with the bright yellow areas showing active breakouts and red/purple areas showing warm, but inactive, flow areas.

An HVO geologist, wearing a balaclava and thick gloves to guard against the extreme heat, uses a rock hammer to take a sample of an active pāhoehoe toe. He immediately drops the fluid lava in a bucket of water to quench the sample and prevent further crystal growth, preserving the sample in a pristine state.

Lava continued to slowly advance across the coastal plain today, and was still about 1.4 km (0.9 miles) from the ocean. This photo shows a good example of "blue glassy" pāhoehoe on the coastal plain.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

Lava, driven by fluid pressure within the flow interior, breaks out from the top of a tumulus on the coastal plain.

San Francisco Peaks in the San Francisco Volcanic Field are located outside of Flagstaff Arizona. Hazards from future eruptions would have local impacts.

Examining a fresh sample of Pele's hair from the lava lake within the Halema‘uma‘u Overlook vent.

Flows continued to be active over a broad area on the coastal plain today. This composite image combines a normal photograph and a thermal image to show the areas of active breakouts. Yellow areas are active flows while red areas are inactive, but still warm, flows. The flow front in the lower right was 1.6 km (1 mile) from the ocean today.

Map showing the extent of lava flows erupted during Kīlauea's ongoing east rift zone eruption and labeled with the years in which they were active.

View, looking northwest, of the active flows (lighter colored areas) on the coastal plain and in Royal Gardens subdivision. The lava tube supplying lava through Royal Gardens can be identified by the line of fume sources on the pali.

View of the eastern portion of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater. A collapse pit has hosted an active, roiling and spattering lava pond for the past several weeks. In the lower left, two small spatter collection trays can be seen on the crater rim.

Looking downslope, numerous fume sources provide a clear trace of the path of the lava tube supplying lava to breakouts on the coastal plain.