December 23, 2024—Kīlauea summit eruption reference map

This reference map depicts the new Kīlauea summit eruption within Halema‘uma‘u crater on December 23, 2024, constructed using data captured during a USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory helicopter overflight at 9:30 a.m. The eruption started in the early morning with lava fountains on the crater floor and in the western wall, where activity gradually focused as the morning progressed. By the time of the overflight, new lava flows had covered approximately 650 acres (265 hectares) of the crater floor to an average depth of about 10 feet (3 meters).