Photo and Video Chronology —September 20, 2024, Paused Kīlauea eruption near Nāpau Crater

By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory September 20, 2024

The middle East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea volcano, in a remote area of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park near Nāpau Crater, paused the morning of September 20, 2024.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field monitoring crews reported minor spattering and small fountains at one end of the vent as of 8:30 a.m. HST on September 20, 2024. By 10 a.m. HST, eruptive activity had paused but the eruptive vents continued to emit volcanic gas and steam. The eruption, which began on the night of September 15, occurred within a closed and remote area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

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USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field monitoring crews captured these videos during their visit to Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption site the morning of September 20, 2024. They reported minor spattering and small fountains at one end of the vent at 8:30 a.m. HST. By 10 a.m. HST, eruptive activity had paused but the eruptive vents continued to emit volcanic gas and steam. The eruption, which began on the night of September 15, occurred within a closed and remote area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS video by M. Patrick.

Small fountains and lava flows erupting from one of the western fissures just before 9 a.m. HST on September 20, 2024. USGS photos by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of lava spattering during eruption

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Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Pāhoehoe lava flows paved the floor of Nāpau Crater during the recent eruption on Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone. Pāhoehoe is characterized by smooth, billowy, and ropy surface textures. Recent lava flowed over tephra that previously coated this area of the crater floor. Tephra is a word for cinders and other volcanic products that travel through the air before being deposited on the ground surface. The vegetated areas outside of the crater, above the crater walls, are visible in the background of the photo. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of recent lava flows covering trail in tephra

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From the floor of Nāpau Crater, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists observed where recent lava flows covered the trail in the crater. The trail is visible in the lower center portion of the photograph, as a track in tephra deposited during previous eruptions in the area. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of area covered with recent lava flows

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A view across the floor of Nāpau Crater, covered with fresh lava flows. In the background of the photo, which faces northwest, lava flows that recently cascaded over the northwest wall of the crater are visible. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of red glowing lava in crack

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A glowing crack in a fresh lava flow on the floor of Nāpau Crater, on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of volcanic vent fuming

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USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field monitoring crews reported minor spattering and small fountains at one end of the vent as of 8:30 a.m. HST on September 20, 2024. By 10 a.m. HST, eruptive activity had paused but the eruptive vents continued to emit volcanic gas and steam, visible in this aerial photograph. The eruption, which began on the night of September 15, occurred within a closed and remote area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of scientist examining ground crack

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On September 20, 2024, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists examined a ground crack near the recent eruption site in the remote middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea. USGS photo by M. Patrick.

Color photograph of volcanic vent and fume

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During the September 20 monitoring overflight, USGS Hawaiin Volcano Observatory geologists observed the fissure west of Nāpau Crater reactivate briefly between 8–9:30 a.m. HST, with minor fissure fountaining and lava flows. View is looking southeast. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

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A telephoto view of the fissure that briefly reactivated west of Nāpau Crater this morning, September 20. Low-level fountaining occurred from approximately 8–9:30 a.m. HST. USGS photo by H. Winslow.

Color map showing ground temperature in area that recently erupted — A helicopter overflight on September 20, 2024, allowed for aerial visual and thermal imagery to be collected at the middle East Rift Zone eruption site on Kīlauea. This thermal map shows that the eruption at Nāpau Crater had paused this morning, with no fountaining or active lava on the surface. Shortly after these morning thermal images were collected, a small portion of the fissure system briefly reactivated, but soon died out again. As of this afternoon, the eruption was again in a pause. The scale of the thermal map ranges from blue to red, with blue colors indicative of cooler temperatures and red colors indicative of warmer temperatures.

Color photograph of scientist making gas measurements near eruption site — USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory gas scientists measured the composition of gases being emitted by Kīlauea during the waning phase of the middle East Rift Zone eruption on September 20, 2024. They used a FTIR spectrometer, which measures how the plume of gases being emitted at the eruption site absorbs infrared energy. The plume being generated by the ongoing eruption is sulfur-dioxide (SO2) rich, but also contains water vapor, carbon dioxide, and halogen gases such as HCl and HF. USGS photo by P. Nadeau.

September 19, 2024—Lava flow channel on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea

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On September 19, 2024, USGS-Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologists landed near the Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone eruption site, where they viewed lava flowing through a channel more than 50 meters (about 164 feet) wide. USGS video by M. Zoeller.