Images

Spectacular eruptive activity has been occurring deep within the collapse pit in Halema`uma`u Crater at Kīlauea's summit. At times, a river of lava poured into a deeper plunge pool of lava, which had a dome fountain on its right-hand side.

Over the last several days, lava has episodically risen up to cover the bottom of the collapse pit, as shown here.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Jaggar Museum are tiny bumps at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano in the background of this photo.

The "Devils chain" is a string of nearly contiguous, virtually uneroded rhyolite lava domes and flows aligned north-south along a 5 km (3 mi) stretch on the southeast apron of South Sister. The largest of these is the Newberry flow (right center, below South Sister), only 2.5 km (1.5 mi) from the summit of South Sister.

The photo includes five rhyolitic units of different ages: Unforested 2-ka rhyolite of "Devils chain" rests on forested 35,000 year old flow lobe from adjacent Devils Hill dome. Three pale-gray spurs form sharp salients that extend to elevations only 550 m (1640 ft) below the darker andesitic summit of South Sister.

Southerly winds offered decent views of the collapse pits on the west flank of Pu`u `Ō `ō. The TEB vent is the heavily fuming vent beyond Pu`u `Ō `ō to the right, and the active tube system extends to the right out of the image frame.

This is the upper-most of several active breakouts from the lava tube system that started over this past weekend. Pu`u `Ō `ō is at the upper right.

The Waikupanaha ocean entry remains active with its typical white steam plume blowing inland. The Hawaii County viewing area is marked by the white dots just below and left of the image center. The viewing area trailhead is at the white structure at the far right.

Two breakouts are visible in this photo. The nearer is the lighter colored flow at the center of the image, and it is no longer active. The other is at the base of the pali just beyond and it continues to creep slowly forward.

Although there are no surface flows anywhere on the flow field, lava continues to flow through the Waikupanaha lava tube and enter the ocean.

A beautiful example of sulfur crystals that have grown around a small fumarole near the southeast rim of Halema`uma`u crater. The vent is about 0.3 m (1 foot) long.

South winds allow for a different perspective of the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent.

An aerial view looking north at two active areas of Kīlauea. Pu`u `Ō `ō crater is in the foreground, Mauna Loa (left) and Mauna Kea (right) are in the background. The fume source near the base of Mauna Loa (at Kīlauea's summit) is from the Halema`uma`u Overlook vent.

This large rock at the Kīlauea Overlook in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park was ejected ballistically in 1790, or soon thereafter, from Kilauea Volcano's summit caldera when it was more than 600 meters (2000 feet) deep.

Aerial view of the Waikupanaha (large plume) and West Waikupanaha ocean entries. The West Waikupanaha entry spans the coastline where the numerous small, wispy plumes are visible. The entries remain active as lava continues to enter the ocean through both lava tubes and surface flows.

At the Waikupanaha ocean entry (left), three separate steam plumes merge into one as the wind blows the steam offshore. The west Waikupanaha entry is spread out over a larger area with at least 5 separate lava entry points. This photo was taken looking southeast.

Standing at the former time lapse camera site on the rim of Pool 1 of the perched channel, geologists measure the depth of the March 2009 collapse. A hammer head was attached to a steel cable and lowered over the edge until it hit the floor of the collapse pit.

A small open channel of lava was entering the water at one of two entry points at the west Waikupanaha entry area.

Scattered breakouts, like the one shown here, continue to be active on the coastal plain and are situated west of the main Waikupanaha tube and just inland of the west Waikupanaha ocean entry.

This photo is looking east towards the three ocean entry points active today. The most distant, and most vigorous, is the Waikupanaha entry, which has been active since March 2008. In the foreground are two entry points at the west Waikupanaha entry area, which has been active over the past few weeks.

Lava continues to flow into the ocean at the well-established Waikupanaha ocean entry. About 700 m to the west (up the coastline in this photograph), the new ocean entry puts off a small plume that is barely visible from this vantage point.