Images

A telephoto image of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u, taken from the northwest rim on November 3. Low roiling lava continues to erupt from the west vent, with occasional larger bursts of spatter. The spatter cone that has built up since the eruption began on September 29, contains ponded lava that supplies the lava lake through the tubed-over spillway.

A photo of the west vent and active western portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. The eastern side of the lava lake (out of view to the right), has a stagnant solidified crust on the surface. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither on November 3, 2021.

A telephoto image of the west vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea. Ponded lava within the spatter cone supplies lava into the lava lake through the tubed-over spillway. The fast-moving lava stream is incandescent as it enters into the lava lake at the base of the cone.

The vent in the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u continues to erupt at the summit of Kīlauea. Volcanic gas emissions, primarily from the west vent (right), remain elevated. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emission rates were measured at around 3,600 tonnes per day on October 28, 2021. USGS photo taken on November 3, 2021, by L. DeSmither.

This reference map depicts the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption on November 4, 2021. One eruptive vent is active within Halema‘uma‘u at this time, along the western edge of the rising lava lake.

The extent of the active surface of the lava lake (orange) within Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, is clearly delineated as the sun sets on November 2, 2021. Photo taken at 5:56 p.m. HST from the west rim. USGS photo by J.M. Chang.

Images of olivine from Hawaiian volcanoes. In olivine the abundance of magnesium (Mg) is expressed as the forsterite content (Fo)—which is a ratio of how much Mg there is compared to the iron (Fe). Left: Green olivine from Mauna Loa’s 1852 eruption, viewed under a microscope. USGS&nbsp

A wide view of the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, on November 1, 2021. This view, looking east, shows the west vent (bottom center) which continues to supply lava to the active portion of the lava lake, while the eastern portion (far side of lake) is crusted over.

A telephoto image of the northeast margin of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit, on November 1, 2021. The lava lake has now risen high enough to start covering the lowest portion of the down-dropped block on the north side of Halema‘uma‘u.

A sequence of telephoto images of the west vent (spanning 4 seconds), within Halema‘uma‘u at Kīlauea summit. The west vent continues to produce low-level lava fountains (seen here), which are forming an elevated pond of lava within the spatter cone.

The USGS recently published a revised “Geologic map of the State of Hawaii (usgs.gov).” This map—originally published in 2007—has been updated to include more recent geologic deposits, including lava flows from Kīlauea’s Pu‘u‘ō‘ō vent on the middle East Rift Zone from 2007–2018 and l

The Kīlauea summit eruption continues within Halema‘uma‘u, in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. This photo of the lava lake was taken this morning, October 15, 2021, during a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory eruption overflight. The vent in the western crater wall (center) continues to supply lava into the lava lake.

A close-up view of the west vent on the western crater wall of Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. Fountaining and lava spatter has built a cone around the vent. Lava pools in the cone and then pours into the lava lake through a small spillway. This photo was taken during a monitoring helicopter overflight on October 15, 2021. USGS photo by N. Deligne.

A telephoto view of the west vent supplying lava to the lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea summit. In the bottom right, the western fissure complex from the Dec. 2020–May 2021 eruption is visible as a spiny dull dark brown and red feature.

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists make observations and collect data during Kīlauea eruption overflights. The data collected is used to construct updated topographic and thermal maps of the lava lake surface and surrounding area.

A telephoto image of the the west vent taken on the morning of October 15, during an HVO helicopter overflight of Kīlauea summit. Low lava fountaining activity continues from the vent in the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u.

The eruption within Halema‘uma‘u continues. Lava fountaining from the western vent (center) feeds a rising lava lake. Activity has decreased over the past week and much of the eastern half of the lake surface (seen here in the foreground) has cooled and formed a solid crust.

In this photo taken during a helicopter overflight of Halema‘uma‘u crater on October 15, lava can be seen fountaining within the western vent cone and flowing down a short spillway into the lava lake. The main island created in the initial stages of the Dec. 2020–May 2021 eruption is in the foreground and continues to rise with the lake surface.

This overview photo of the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake was captured around noon on Friday, October 15, 2021, from the northwest rim of the crater. The western fissure (lower right) continues to erupt lava into the west side of the lava lake (right). The east side of the lake (left) is mostly stagnated and solidified on the surface.

A close-up photo of the vent in the western wall of Halema‘uma‘u, taken during the ongoing eruption at Kīlauea summit. The top of the 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall lava fountain could be seen from the west crater rim on October 14, at 2:05 p.m. The lava fountains continue to build up a spatter cone around the vent.

A view of the western portion of the lava lake within Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea. This photo, taken from the west crater rim, shows the active west vent (lower right), the main island (upper left), and the old west vent from the Dec. 2020–May 2021 eruption (lower left).