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Photo and Video Chronology – Kīlauea – January 29, 2021

By Kīlauea January 29, 2021

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.

The eruption at Kīlauea summit continues with the west vent supplying lava to the active western lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u 
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
The eruption at Kīlauea summit continues with the west vent supplying lava to the active western lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u (visible in the lower right corner). Gas emission rates remain elevated and were measured at about 2,200 t/d on January 23. Just left of center is a remnant of Crater Rim Drive, on a block that dropped during the 2018 summit collapses. Snow from a recent storm can be seen on the summit of Mauna Loa Volcano, in the upper left corner of the image. This photo was taken in an area of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park that remains closed to the public for safety reasons. USGS photo taken by M. Patrick on January 28.
A north-south trending line of surficial cracks divides the boundary between the active western and inactive northern lava lake
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
A north-south trending line of surficial cracks divides the boundary between the western active portion (left) and eastern stagnant portion (right) of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake. Lake depth measurements taken on January 28th on both sides of the cracks (near center) indicate that the eastern portion of the lava lake is 4 meters (13 ft) lower than the western portion of the lava lake. In this view looking north, the majority of the largest island is visible in the western portion of the lava lake (gray shiny surface). In contrast, the stagnant eastern portion is a duller gray with several smaller islands visible. North of the cracks (upper center), the top of the inactive northern vent spatter cone is nearly submerged by the rising lava lake. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

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