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Kīlauea's summit eruption continues on the Island of Hawai‘i; the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u erupts lava into the lava lake. Gas emissions and seismic activity at the summit remain elevated. HVO field crews—equipped with specialized safety gear and PPE—monitor the current eruption from within the closed area of Hawai&lsq
HVO scientists collect detailed data to assess hazards and understand how the eruption is evolving at Kīlauea's summit, all of which are shared with the National Park Service and emergency managers. Access to this hazardous area is by permission from, and in coordination with, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
Active surface lava has been limited to the western portion of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo shows a large portion of this western zone. The surface is composed of a patchwork of small, angular crustal plates separated by darker spreading zones. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on February 17, 2021.
This photo shows a close-up of the inlet along the western margin of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. Lava originating at the small upwelling zone rapidly develops a thin flexible crust as it moves away from the source. A small island also has been present just south of the inlet. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on February 17, 2021.
Lava continues to erupt from the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. On Wednesday morning, February 17, small pieces of spatter were occasionally ejected from the vent, landing on the slope below. This type of activity has decreased significantly over the past several weeks. Lava from the west vent continues to enter the lava lake at an inlet near the base of the spatter cone. USGS photo taken by B. Carr.
The lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. The active lava was retained by a levee several meters (yards) high along the west margin. The levee is formed from numerous small rafted crustal plates that have stacked upon one another, and likely fused together. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on February 17, 2021.
On the February 16 helicopter overflight, at approximately 9:20 a.m. HST, thermal imagery was collected of the ongoing eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano. This annotated thermal image shows the western active lava surface is limited to an area on the north, south, and west sides of the largest island. Lava continues to enter the lava lake from the west vent through an inlet at the base of the spatter cone. The warm ring around the edge of the lake is caused by ooze-outs as the lake surface continues to rise. The temperature scale is in degrees Celsius. USGS thermal image taken by B. Carr.
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