Images

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist sets up remote cameras for a close-up view of the September 2023 eruption within Kīlauea summit caldera. These cameras will help capture changes in the eruption's behavior so that geologists studying the volcano can determine better the processes at work that create the lava fountains. USGS photo by D. Downs.

View of eruptive activity in Kīlauea caldera, from the west side of the caldera, looking east. The three easternmost cones, ranging from 14-20 meters (46-66 ft) fall, were far more active than the west cone in the image which was only 10 meters (33 ft) tall.

A row of scones in Halema‘uma‘u are actively ejecting spatter, which helps build the height of each structure. Cone heights of 20 meters (66 feet) have been measured by field teams. Of the line of vents spanning 0.8 miles (1.4 km) that were observed active during the initial phases of the eruption, only six remain active as of September 14, 2023. USGS photo by L.

The plume from the current eruption rises above the floor of Halema‘uma‘u. The most recent measurements, taken September 13, indicate 20,000 tonnes per day of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) are being emitted.

A view of the active fissure in Kīlauea summit caldera, with a chain of cinder cones as seen during an overflight on the afternoon of September 14, 2023. The vents within the cones are feeding lava flows that have covered nearly 500 acres (200 hectares) with new lava since the eruption began on September 10.

This telephoto view shows one of the erupting vents in Kīlauea caldera. Lava fountain heights at the vents reached up to about 10-15 meters (32-50 feet) and the horseshoe-shaped spatter ramparts that have accumulated on the south/downwind side of the vents remain 20 meters (66 feet) high. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

This telephoto view shows one of the erupting vents in Kīlauea caldera. Lava fountain heights at the vents reached up to about 10-15 meters (32-50 feet) and the horseshoe-shaped spatter ramparts that have accumulated on the south/downwind side of the vents remain 20 meters (66 feet) high. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

These thermal images look west and show the eruption at the summit Kīlauea on September 11 (the day after the eruption started) and on September 14. On September 11, multiple vents were active in a roughly east-west trending line and the area of active lava flows was approximately 448 acres (181 hectares).

This thermal image, collected on September 14, 2023, shows features of the eruption site at the summit of Kīlauea. The image looks roughly west. The brighter colors are hotter temperatures, which are closest to the several active eruptive vents on the downdropped block within the caldera.

Station KOHD on Kohala houses a seismometer and a repeater, meaning that data is both collected and relayed at this station. The station was severely damaged by storms and heavy winds earlier this year. HVO field technicians rebuilt the station during the week of September 11.

Station KOHD on Kohala after being rebuilt in September 2023. The site was severely damaged by storms and heavy winds earlier this year. The site houses a seismic monitoring instrument and is also a repeater hub, meaning that it receives and relays data from other stations.

From Kīlauea caldera floor overlooking the downdropped block, HVO scientists had a beautiful view of the six erupting vents on the floor of the downdropped block.  HVO scientists were on the caldera floor retrieving seismic nodes, which had been deployed during the Kīlauea Seismic Imaging Project earlier this year. USGS image by L. DeSmither. 

These tephra and spatter clasts were eruption recently at the summit of Kīlauea. They were collected from an inactive fissure on September 12, 2023, and brought back to the lab where they will be analyzed in several ways, including their density, shape, size, and chemistry. The larger clast on the bottom is about 8 inches (20 cm) long. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

Tephra created within approximately the first 18 hours of the eruption that began in Kīlauea caldera the afternoon of Sunday, September 10, were collected on September 12, 2023, and dried in the lab overnight. Today, these samples will be processed for various analyses to determine what the lava composition is and what minerals it might contain, such as olivine.

This overview of the Kīlauea summit eruption was captured in the afternoon of Tuesday, September 12, from the southeast rim of Kaluapele. Multiple eruptive vents (bottom) on the downdropped block to the east of Halema‘uma‘u crater are effusing a river of lava into the deeper western side of the crater in the distance. USGS photo by M. Zoeller. 

During an eruption monitoring overflight mid-day on September 12, 2023, activity in Kīlauea caldera was focused on six active vents that were producing lava fountains and flows. In this photo, oriented looking toward the southwest, several inactive fissures on the northeast side of the downdropped block appear silver and brown in color.

The former Hawaiian Volcano Observatory building, perched on Kīlauea caldera rim, has spectacular views of the summit eruption. The tower was built with a vision of overlooking eruptions such as this one. This building was damaged during the 2018 summit collapse and is slated for deconstruction later this year. USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

The former Hawaiian Volcano Observatory building, perched on Kīlauea caldera rim, has spectacular views of the summit eruption. The tower was built with a vision of overlooking eruptions such as this one. This building was damaged during the 2018 summit collapse and is slated for deconstruction later this year. USGS photo by C. Gansecki. 

On September 12, 2023, HVO geologists landed on the downdropped block to collect samples of tephra from the now-inactive easternmost fissures of the new eruption at the summit of Kīlauea. These samples will be analyzed to better understand how and why the new eruption occurred. USGS photo by K. Lynn.

This view of the eruption site within Kīlauea caldera was captured in the afternoon of Tuesday, September 12 from the southeast rim of Kaluapele. Multiple vents are spattering and effusing lava as the Kīlauea summit eruption nears the end of its second full day. USGS photo by M. Zoeller. 

An HVO geologist makes observations of the vents erupting on the floor of the downdropped block in Kīlauea summit caldera on September 12, 2023. Field crews measure the height of the cones around the vents, the height of the lava fountains, and the height of the lava flow field as it becomes perched above the surrounding pre-eruptive landscape. USGS photo by N.